The Lesser Twin
by Thano
Summary: AU. Harry Potter has become a Goa'uld, dark but not evil. NO PAIRING.
1. Ch 0: Prologue

_**Title:**_ **The Lesser Twin**

**_Author:_ Thano**

**_Disclaimer: _This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

**_Warning:_ None…maybe occasion violent.**

**_Rating:_ T**

**_Paring:_ no parings, this is mainly a friendship/family fanfiction**

**_Summary: _AU. X-over Harry Potter & Stargate. Harry Potter has become a Goa'uld. It's time for him to lead his life as he chooses or not…**

_**AN:**_ This is a repost of the story (minor changes on the first few chapters). First, briefly touch on why I have wrote the story. We all know that Queen Egeria, the Tok'ra's Mother is the first renounce Goa'uld heritage/philosophy. Why not another one? A Goa'uld, who decided not to take host, I think Baal is the coolest evil Goa'uld so I research a bit about him, the mythical god and I found Anath. **Anath/Anat Rohmaya is Baal's sister in Canaanite mythology**, though I've made her as his twin for my story.

Goa'uld is asexual, taken on the gender by the host. However, they sexuality often most influences by their first host. A Queen is special. How? I still have yet found the answer in Cannon. **SuperiorShortness**'d suggested Goa'uld could force to be a "Queen" because female path allowed Goa'uld to survived and have more security and stability than male path. It is interesting concept that I would like to explore but hard to write than simply have the Goa'uld structure similar to the Wraith Empire that only few Queens were born. Either ways, thanks SuperiorShortness.

I would like to **super thanks, ****Riddle Master 101** for reedited the chapter** and ****hobbitdoitbetter** who is previously beta-ed the chapter.

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **speeches

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **thoughts

Well, let get on with the story.

* * *

**Prologue**

Anath Rohmaya, 'The Merciful' watched the typhoon trying to wrack havoc on her city. The storm was having little success, due to the layer of shields which had protected the city for thousands of years. Although the city was safe to be venture outside, the streets were empty: the citizens were all inside their houses. They had gathered together with immediate family, a traditional 'human' celebration that had been practiced since they first arrived on this planet. The storm always lasted for a week; the final day was always the worse. Today was the last day.

Anath stood firm upon the earth, outside the city and out of the protected dome. She was letting the storm pours over her, cleansing and renewal her spiritually. The storms had always brought peace to her soul and it was no exception this year. Strangely, many thousands of years of such storms had passed and yet none have completely quenched the fire raging within her. The anger of being an exile was a deep scar in her heart. The water soaked her clothes; the winds would have swept her away like those trees, uprooted her, if not for her inhuman strength. The typhoon occurred every year and, like the populace, she has made it a traditional occasion to be alone outside the city and make peace with herself.

Anath after all was known as an insane goddess, though no one would dare call her that to her face. The humans had even gone as far as to give her the title "The Merciful" in the hope of appeasing her, and to keep her from harming them. Suddenly, Anath felt a strong force reaching out to her. Immediately she felt herself dim out of existence. The feelings shook her. She opened her eyes and the sapphire colours flashed with a shimmering golden glow.

[Break]

The SG1 watched the extraction of Baal's last symbiote without incident. They left the Tok'ra temple, content that this last clone had been taken care of. Jack O'Neill walked cheerfully to the Stargate with Samantha Carter, talking to her about the new Lunar Base (a human outpost) and then with the others on SGC business. They were not concerned when one member paced behind: Daniel was always deep in thoughts.

Daniel was still wondering what Baal meant by his "failsafe" plan, and whether this was truly over. Because something told him it was not.

[Break]

Everyone who had attended was dispersing after the ceremony, while one of the Tok'ra guards carefully placed the jar on an isolated shelf. It sat surrounding by others, a collection of the System Lord's symbiotes. The Tok'ra guard gives a final glare at the jar before walking out of the room and turning on the shield.

Not surprisingly, the symbiote inside the jar was searching for a way to escape. Baal was amongst the oldest and most cunning of the Goa'uld and he knew his life was coming to the end despite his many fail-safes. He could feel the jar's poisonous liquid working through his system and soon he would lose consciousness altogether. In desperation, Baal reached out his consciousness—if he could beg he would, but silence greeted him. His mind snapped back to the past; it was a backup plan that he had conceived when he had first rose to power and it was still in place. He still had a chance for survival.

Though he wondered if his twin, Anath, would help him, given to their past…Give into their past.

**Flashback**…

The hall of Ughar was empty. Anath sat upon her throne, watching wearily as the well-known figure approached—her twin, the Almighty Baal. Baal stopped over a meter before her, knowing better than to enter into what she regarded as personal space. She was known for her freckle nature.

"You've chosen." He spoke sadly, indicated the empty court with a wave of his hand.

"And so have you, dear brother." Anath glared, eyeing his new human form. Even though it looked much like his old body, she knew the difference. The twin could always tell.

'We are no longer one.' She shook her head bitterly. They were special, twins not just in symbiote but also in human form.

"I'm not here to mock you, Anath. This new body is finer than the old one. That is all." Baal could see that she wasn't listening, and he sighed dramatically. She was always so stubborn, his sister. "Everyone has done the same, Anath: why not us?" He walked around the dais, forcing her to twist her neck if she wanted to keep him within her sight. Anath knew he was toying with her but she could not stop herself from playing his game. It always had been like this between them.

When she met his eyes, he stopped. He smiled at her as if they were still friends. Only her twin would have mocked her like this and she knew it. "You're too sentimental, sister," Baal purred. "I do not want to end it here but your stupidity has forced my hand. You just _had_ to issue that duel challenge…" He looked straight at her, his anger breaking through the surface for once. "I'll not look a fool in Father's Court." He eyes glowed and sneered, "_Little sister."_

Anath sighed. She had always hoped that they would never become rivals, and yet here they were. "I have always revered you, brother, because WE ARE ONE. Or at least, we were." She stood gracefully, inclining her head as she did so.

"Now that is of the past." She made her way to him, always ensures her eyes were on him.

"Let it be marked that we have agreed to battle today. Agreed that whoever loses the battle shall be separated from the System Lord Courts. Until the day when they admit their wrong-doing." Just for a moment she felt her face slip, tears almost showing, but she fought them back. He would not cry for her, she knew. "So mote it be!" she intoned instead.

"So mote it be." Baal echoed her words.

And instantly, Anath's hand went to his neck, trying to snap it in half like any other enemy's.

He blocked it easily, smirked. He was stronger than her and faster. "You've forgot I've always able to read your moves, little sister." He danced out the way, spinning behind her to retaliate. A blade slid out from his glove, the metal tearing her skin and opening a deep hole. The agony of screams echoed through the empty hall, blending with manic laughter. Brother against sister, twin against twin.

Baal laughed. "It would not do well for our people to hear their goddess screaming like a Tau'ri, little sister." Another blade appeared, this time from his cuff. He drove it deeply into her side, twisting it as he did so. Anath gave another scream and her eyes flashing golden, for the symbiote started to feel the pain.

"And here I thought you were prepared, dearest," he snickered, his grin feral. His hand went across her throat, cutting off her air and she swayed on her feet. "This is why you're known as the Lesser Twin," he muttered. "You've never been my equal, little girl." And then he drove the knife in again. And again. And again.

And all the while his little sister continued to scream…

**End of Flashback**...

Baal's symbiote twisted at the memory, his last thought on Anath, his little sister, his last and best-kept failsafe. For one miraculous second he was there with her, wherever she was. Their bond had reached across the universe and with it his only hope for another chance.

TBC…

* * *

Publish Date: 02/09/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	2. Ch1: The Planet Terra

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**__**Warning:**_** time-travel in this chapter.**

I would like to** super thanks, ****Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and ****hobbitdoitbetter **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Planet Terra**

The place was dark, though the light from the machines was enough to prevent anyone from bumping into things. It was built deep beneath the surface of a non-inhabited, lifeless planet within one of those abandoned solar systems that were close to the original Goa'uld home world.

The Goa'uld left this solar system from their mapping charts, fearing others would discover their humble beginnings. The place would cause too many questions if it were discovered, especially since they pretended to be Gods. There was no Stargate on the planet and the eerie atmosphere had been created by the Goa'uld; this meant that the planet never attracted attention or visitors.

Anath, the Most Merciful and Benign, was amused.

'Baal really went through a lot of trouble to building this base,' Anath thought. 'Everything about it seems designed to intimidate.' Mentally she shook her head. It seemed her people had not changed for the last five thousand years. They were still pig-headed—to a man.

Anath had no doubt that this is Baal's secret data servers' facility, the only place where all his secrets had been stored. Anath would not have found the place, nor even guessed its location, if Baal had not sent the location to her. The transmission had activated only after his demise. It was coded in their twin language; to anyone else it would have been gibberish.

Gibberish—Anath closed her eyes at the memory of her brother, the person she had been closest to in the entire universe once upon a time. She was not sure whether it had really hit her yet, that he was dead. It didn't really feel…real.

She was numb, and the only time she had felt this way was when she was ordered into exile.

She touched the screen, giving the final command, watching as the data storage began its final download. Soon everything would be downloaded.

Once that was finished she swirled around and left the compound. She didn't want to be there when the self-destruct began counting down.

Safely aboard her small personal vessel, she watched the self-destruct from a long distance. The planet's surface began to crack and the explosives began to take their toll. She shook her head and wondered if her twin had gone a bit far with the naquadah when he planning that explosion.

She heard the online communicator beep; her priestess must be waiting for her. It was not surprising since Lorraine was the only one who knew she was off-world. Sighing she pulled the ship around returning home, unwilling to leave her people for too long. She did not care for their opinion, but still…

She was a RULER, and she did have a responsibility toward her subjects.

"Lorraine."

"Yes, my Lady."

"Lorraine, did you receive all the data?"

"Yes, my lady."

Anath smiled, Lorraine truly was a gift from the goddess. "You know what to do, then," she snapped, "Assemble a team and engineer the time machine immediately." She added as an afterthought, "Modify it to our standard technology if you are able to Lorraine. I will reach home in three days." She did not fancy having the technology to fall into another Goa'uld hands, given the fact that she was heading into their territories soon.

"As you've commanded, we should have completed the project before then," Lorraine broke into her thoughts. "And have a good journey home, my Lady."

She switched the communication off and started reading through her twin's files. The reports seemed to be more of a journal than anything else.

She ploughed through the files, shaking her head as she did so. "Truly," she reflected thoughtfully as she skimmed over the contents, "He had not changed since I last saw him."

[Break]

The Morning Room, otherwise known as the Great Chamber was very small compared to the Grand Throne Room. In fact it was about one hundredth of its size, yet, it still managed to intimidate others. Not even the bright colours of the flowers, arranged here and there in the room, could lessen the affect. Anath had conducted her daily sovereignty in the Morning Room for the last four thousand years, ever since she became the supreme ruler. The velvet purple throne contrasted with the room's ivory and marble architecture. She did not rule as a goddess here but as their Empress, the head of their collective kingdoms. She checked the list one last time to ensure that everything had been included. Lorraine could not hide her amusement at Lady Anath, who had rarely put an effort into administration tasks.

"You've something to add, Lorraine?" She looked up in time to see her priestess making a face.

"No, uh…nothing, my Lady."

"I thought not." Her eyes glowed, and the priestess bowed and stepped backward. She knew better than to push her Lady's temper further. Lorraine scurried away as another speaker approached.

"Senator Giles is begging for an audience, my Lady."

Anath nodded absently to the girl, who looked far too young to be at court, still not taking her angry eyes off Lorraine. For a moment she considered punishing her priestess for such impudence, but decided against it. She had summoned Giles after all, and she needed to speak with him immediately. She could punish Lorraine another time.

"My Lady, Anath."

The voice was thick and smooth; the tone requested her attention. Anath's head turned slightly to see a man kneeling. Senator Giles looked middle-aged compared to a Tauri, though he was a few hundred years younger than her. Like most of the Norrea he had naturally grey hair, which made him look older than he was. His three eyes were pale blue, the colour proof of his blood-lines: the paler the colour of Norrea eyes, the nobler their owners' blood-lines. And the stronger their gifts, she mused. The man had regal bearing, making his high office obvious, but she still let him kneel. She was the goddess, after all.

Anath ignored him for a few more minutes, reminding him of her supremacy. Usually she would have not done this, for Senator Giles had been a follower from the beginning, a native Lord and representative of the Norrea planet. But still, one's inferiors must be reminded of it every so often, even if they were loyal.

"Good morning Senator Giles, you may rise."

He straightened his back stiffly and kept his eyes on the floor. "Thank you for receiving me today, My Lady."

His formality pleased her. "Let us not dwell on formality Giles; there is a memorandum for you." Anath nodded to Lorraine, who also functioned as her messenger and the priestess handed over the scroll to Giles.

Senator Giles took the scroll before pressing a small button on it. A white transparent rectangle about forty by twenty centimetres appeared, covered with written instructions. Giles frowned as he read it, raising his eyebrows at Anath. Surely this was a joke?

"My Lady?" he asked.

"It's straight-forward Giles; you'll be my regent while I'm gone."

She paused, watching the man like a hawk. Weighing him to judge whether she'd made the right choice. She was not disappointed: immediately he bowed.

"You honour me, My Lady."

"Yes, I do." And then she smiled. "Of course you'll need Lord Amyth's final approval on any decree changes that take place during my absence, but that shouldn't be a problem." Her smile widened and tried to make her face to look innocent. She knew the two of them hated each other with a passion, mostly due the misunderstandings created by her. She could not allow them to be friends. Senator Giles held the Council whilst Lord Amyth upheld two thirds of her armies. That was a potentially lethal mix. She had never had cause to doubt either man's loyalty to her but she was a Goa'uld: she could not trust anyone.

Lord Giles cleared his throat and she turned her dragonish gaze on him. "I'm sure nothing major will turn up while I am away," she snapped.

He bowed his head. "My Lady, you have never left us without indicating how long you would be gone for."

Anath thoughts she heard a childish wince in the Senator's voice. Surely he would not miss her?

"Well, Senator. There's a first time for everything." Her tone was clearly dismissive.

"You may go, Senator."

"As you has command, my Lady, Anath." Giles backed out from the room and Anath fought the urge to roll her eyes.

When the door shut, she turned to her priestess. "Watch out for them, Lorraine."

"Am I not coming with you?" The priestess was shocked; she had not thought her ladyship would leave her behind.

"I have no wish for you to have contact with the Goa'uld, Lorraine. It would be…distasteful, to have you learn my people's dirty tricks." She let her eyes flash gold. "Not that a loyal priestess would ever do such a thing, eh?" And with that sneering comment Anath left, while her priestess stood in the Morning Room regaining her composure.

[Break]

Anath had never thought that she would set foot on the planet Terra again. The Tauri had caused her people so much trouble that Terra had been abandoned. The Goa'uld home world was the place their race had started but Terra was where it had begun the universal conquest, and its loss had cut the Goa'uld deeply. Even Baal had been affect by its loss.

Baal and Anath, the twins were the first Goa'uld born on Terra. Baal had discovered their beloved Father's treachery: he had been modifying their memories. Baal was upset when he found out that their relationship had been destroyed because he had believed the man, who he trusted most. Anath was angry, her pain and hate all was because of one. They had never been anything but experiments to their father, after all.

"They're Hasesis," Father had said. "The first and is the last of their kind. The consequences would be too dire if that were not the case." And it was just those "dire consequences," which had justified her and Baal's modifications. They had no other rights.

Anath tried to remember how much Father had hurt her and Baal, but only the memories of Baal's hand spearing into her flesh rose to her mind. She decided she'd settle the scores with both of them.

She turned her mind back to the task at hand. She had not come back to Terra to remember, she had come back to see her brother again. The time-travel machine was the only way to do that, and it meant for her to return to the time before he was killed. She began bringing the machine online, carefully setting its coordinates. She was aiming for the Tauri year 1991 AC. It was the closest time she could get to 1994, when the Tauri's Stargate Program established.

Anath have no idea where the Stargate was at the moment, but it didn't matter. The only person she wanted to see again was Baal. And soon she would. It didn't matter to her that the Goa'uld had fallen; she cared nothing for the rest of her race. She just wanted to see her brother. She smiled, both joyful and devious. It was with mixed feelings that she returned to watching the sunset and remembered Terra as it once was. She waited for the time machine to come online.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 05/09/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	3. Ch 2: Harry Potter’s Day

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

_**AN:**_ I've used a bit of Torchwood in this chapter, it not really x-over, since I'm not really planned to add anything else in the future. I just need an agency dealing with alien for this chapter (Men in Black is not possible, it's an USA agency). **Yes, Anath is not like Egeria, she's Goa'uld, an insane goddess if you've read about her mythology. The story is dark.**

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and hobbitdoitbetter **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 2: Harry Potter's Day**

London was buzzing. The tourists' high season had starting over two months ago and the amount of cameras' flashing had begun to irritate some of the locals. Although, today's good weather made the season more bearable. Many locals were walking about, smiling, it was noon and the streets, restaurants and shops were filling with peoples. It would have been another perfectly a normal day if not for an alien walking among them.

Anath mingled within the crowd, trying to lose those humans that had been following her. They were seems to be bolder today and closing in onto her. She not sure what had happened but for the last month or so they had been trailing after her.

She had landed in Wales, on the coast of England, and that was where the spaceship was presently is hidden. She had travelled around, adjusting and understanding the new Tau'ri. That was how she had picked her "stalkers," up.

She was very curious and wondering The Tau'ri was completely different than those she had remembered. They were independent, assertive and even sometimes aggressive individuals. She concluded that the changes may have resulted from the Tau'ri burying the Stargate and the lack of Goa'uld interference, which had allowed them to advance in technology.

She ducked into a doorway, trying to give her pursuers the slip. She would have attacked her stalkers but she was enjoying watching the Tau'ri from a distance and a frontal assault would probably get her too much attention. The whole thing was more trouble than it was worth, especially since she would have to stay in hiding until she could make her way to the Stargate. That was across the sea, far away in a place called "America." She would hardly make it there if she gained too much attention.

So she ignored her pursuers and walked the streets, listening to the conversations. During her time-travelling, Anath spent a lot of time reading, updating her knowledge of the Tau'ri's history. It seemed that the Goa'uld influences had become a mythology. This was a bittersweet knowledge. Her people were now only ghosts, memories to those who had once worshipped them. She wondered who they worshipped now. The Tau'ri was divided and easy to conquer but she suspected they would never accept her people as gods again. She pondered how much things had changed as she browsed through a tea shop, enjoying the scents. She was sniffing a particularly lovely brew when she realised that a gun was pointing directly at her heart.

Anath was shocked.

It was unbelievable that they would attack her in this crowd. Her eyes glowed angrily at their insolence. 'How dare they!' She prepared to fight and then she felt a sensation go through her body. Suddenly she fell to the ground. She could feel her mind shutting down like a computer program. She tried to bring up her defences to the fore but it didn't work. She just fell deeper into the coma.

Her last thought was: someone is going to pay for this.

[Break]

**August 1991**

Harry Potter was counting the days until 1st September, when he got to see Hagrid again. However, no matter what he did, it was still ten days to go.

"Mum, you promised." Dudley yelled and slammed the kitchen door, pushing Harry (who was dusting the cupboard) aside.

Aunty Petunia immediately snatched the door open and followed Dudley while Harry tried not to get squashed. The scenario was not new to him and he already knew the outcome, Dudley always won.

Harry went to the children's book where he kept his money. He had earned it by helping out an old lady near his school. It was pitiful pay, barely five pounds, but it was better than nothing. He would able get some lollies today. He could spend it on whatever he liked and the Dursley's couldn't say anything about it. It was enough until he could get his hands on his parents' money. If, of course, they brought him out to spend it.

He walked into the living room and waited. He watched the clock ticking, Dudley and Petunia arrived five minutes later, just as he's known they would.

Petunia blinked at him. "Oh, there you are."

Harry tried his best to look innocent nevertheless his aunty still gave him a dirty look. Petunia was about to comment about his abnormal habits but she decided it would be better to get to the point before her husband got home.

"We're going to shopping for Dudley. He needs a few things for his new school," she sniffed. "Mrs. Figg has informed me that she is out today and not able to babysit you, so you'll be coming with us."

Harry nodded and strode to the garage where Dudley already waited in the car, sulking. 'The pout did not really suit him', Harry thought, but what expression did? However he was grateful for the bratty sulk as it made the journey relatively peaceful. The journey engrossed him and he found that they had arrived earlier than expected. The Dursleys left him at the shopping entrance and instructed him to wait for them there. Harry nodded vigorously to all the demands, hoping it would get rid of them faster. Finally alone, his stomach rumbled and he realised that he would have to get lunch. He smiled at the pleasant thought as he'd never gotten lunch for himself before.

Harry's nose led him to the food hall, but he was not used to being near strangers. He began to panic, retracing his steps, but his stomach won. He'd had a little dinner last night and the food court aroma had increased his hunger.

'I could do with a hamburger', he thought. He almost fainted at the memory of the taste. Harry had never had the whole burger for himself. The very thought he could afford one now made his stomach insist on being satisfied.

Harry searched the food hall until he found a burger stand. He stood waiting in the queue, imagining the taste of the burger. Suddenly someone fell on him, squashing him. Harry was sure no one would see him fall given how small he was in comparison to the person on top of him. Harry was smart enough to staying still and hopes someone would shift the body above him. He concentrated on the noise around him. The place was in chaos, but surely someone would see him?

He could make out some voices nearby.

"Oh!..."

"Someone's fainted."

"Oii are you OK?"

"Hey, have you a mobile there..?"

"It's OK, my husband is calling an ambulance…"

"Don't touch…"

"I'm a doctor, please move aside."

"You heard him, please clear the area."

"Did her eyes…"

There is a dead silence around them.

And suddenly BANG! BANG! BANG!

Harry was shocked when the above body began to budge and then stopped. He heard screams, footsteps running and then things getting quiet. However, he suddenly felt jolt of pain and immediately his body seem to get a life of its own. He pushed the body above him aside and was astonished that it moved as if weightless. His body automatically leaned into the other body; his fingers touched off something, maybe a belt button, and then to his astonishment the body disappeared.

Harry was disappointed. He would have liked to have seen what the other body looked like. He was not sure how but his body seemed to be back under his control once more. Maybe he was just really famished and had lost comprehension of his actions? He looked around and saw two other bodies lying nearby. He approached them but abruptly something flared in his mind, stopping his movements completely. He could only think one word, 'ESCAPE'.

Harry knew danger was coming. It was the same feeling as when Dudley played "Harry hunting." He started running as fast as he could and finally, losing himself in the crowd. He was almost in the middle of a sea of shoppers when a hand spun him around. He heart almost stopped beating. His eyes widened as a middle-aged man in a black suit glared down at him. Another man was still gripping his arm and Harry felt his eyes watering. "Hey lad, why are you here by yourself?"

Again he felt that thrill that had warned him danger was near. Harry decided to play for time, answering helplessly like any other child his age when away from their guardian. "I'm not sure. I was with my aunt…she's somewhere. Could you please help me mister?"

The middle-aged man looked unconvinced. "Did you see…" he began, but his partner interrupted him.

"Leave the boy alone, he's small and easy is leaving behind. We have our job to do." The man dropped his arm instantly and Harry felt the sense of threat evaporate. He waited for a moment; letting them disappear around the corner before he relaxed. Harry wasn't sure why, but he lips curved into a smirk as if he had enjoyed playing with them. He was almost sad they were gone. That's not like me, he sighed, wondering what had gotten into him.

Harry's decided not rejoined the crowd but concealing himself nears the toilets. Something told him this wasn't over. He didn't have to wait long, soon the two men reappeared. He decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Is the premises secured?" one man snapped.

"Yes sir, the guards have Amnesia Pills ready as well."

"Good, have London headquarters get in touch if there's anything else."

The other man shook his head. "I doubt they will. We're following standard procedure…"

The conversation was cut off when they had passed him. Harry did not like of the sound of that at all, and he decided to follow them. They had gone through the emergency exit and he would have to follow them.

"Now, how in Merlin's name am I going to open this door?" He swore softly beneath his breath. He touched the door and gave a little push, not really expecting it to open. To his great surprise it did. Harry found his way to the car-park, to where his aunt Petunia's car was and waited there. He saw people milling about, getting into their cars as well. Harry waited for the Dursleys. They looked in a bit daze and said something about a gas leak in the shopping centre. Harry was relieved as they had driven safely home. He did not want to question himself about what had happened. It was enough that he was alright now.

He passed the rest of the day quietly, doing his normal chores and counting the days before Hogwarts. Sometimes, he felt as if someone was observing him quietly nearby. He pulled the blankets over his body; he was not cold but he needed the sensation of being wrapped in warmth, protected. It was not long before Harry lost in land of Morpheus.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 11/09/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	4. Ch 3: The TugofWar

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**_ Anath is a Harsesis and a Goa'uld, she is not a host. Therefore the memories she had were her own. The symbiote and host are one. This is why I used the idea of the conscious (the symbiote) and subconscious (Harsesis).

A few may wonder why Anath was killed in the last chapter. Anath had not lived on Earth for over five thousands year and she had other cultures influences. It would not be difficult that her strange behaviours were pickup or the technology used caught the attention of Torwood. Therefore, Torwood's team decided to take her in, to studies but she was retaliated and got accidental got killed.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **forreedited the chapter** and hobbitdoitbetter **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Tug-of-War**

**June 1992**

_He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down…down…down… (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, p. 214)_

The year had gone quickly, and the end of school was soon only four days away. It was time for students to relax after the heavy load of exams, to celebrate quietly together with friends while they awaited the last night's feast. The quietest place at Hogwarts during this occasion should be the Hospital Wing; yet surprisingly it was not empty. One unconscious student remained, wrapped up from head to toe like a mummy.

Madam Pomfrey frowned. She hated it when the little one like this was injured, and not just anyone but Harry Potter. She sighed; one could always blame the whole incident on the Headmaster. She had warned him that the Philosopher's Stone would only mean trouble but the Headmaster had thought it was best for Harry…

"Well, look where it had got the boy. Poor child!" She shook head and clucked her tongue, continuing with her diagnosis. She had managed to _FINALLY _throw everyone out, the child need rest since she had suspected that he was magically exhausted. Of course, one must always make sure, no matter what the physical appearance might have be. She continued with her examination. Checking his vitals, magically scanning the boy, 'All seemed to be normal'… then Madam Pomfrey stopped, gasping at the chart and the boy. She trembled, her eyes dashing back and forth between the chart and the boy. She was not sure what to do, maybe it was best to inform the Headmaster of the situation but before she had completed her thought and progressed to the door, a beam light hit her.

It woke Harry up. "Oblivate!" the boy yelled, sitting straight up, on the bed.

He glanced down at his wand, shocked**,** the magic was still warm and tingling on his skin. What had he done? How was he able to cast the spell when he had not heard it before? It had come right out of his mouth. He knew what the spell was after it was cast, but…His thoughts become jumbled and he once again felt someone else was with him.

But Harry could not find anyone visible in the room, except Madame Pomfrey.

Harry studied the old woman. She looked OK, the memory charm should not have harmed her, and once he was out of the bed he tried to rouse her. "Professor..?" he asked. The woman moved, dazed, standing up beside his bed. He saw the linen white sheets and knew he was in the Hospital wing. He felt tired, the blasted Oblivate charm has taken all the energy he had regained. However, he forced himself to be stay wake. Heknewsomeone was there, no longer invisible and now taking an active role in his life.

In the last year Harry had felt something or someone with him, helping him to find his courage. It was making sure he didn't give in to hopelessness as he often felt. He had tried to convince himself that it was Dumbledore, he had even thought once or twice that it might be Voldemort but deep down he had known that it was something else.

Something was in this room with him and Madame Pomfrey now.

Harry felt a wave of nausea, lying back on the bed though his stubbornness would not let him rest. Suddenly he felt the thing inside him rear into life, and he couldn't keep it quiet. "Close your eyes," the voice in his head whispered in amusement, "We must have our discussions in your subconscious." It was like magic and Harry felt himself dragged into unconsciousness.

Immediately he was firing questions.

"No needs to shout, I can hear you," the voice began dryly. "I'll start off with my tale, just give me a chance to speak!" Harry tried to answer back but immediately his mind went blank. He began to afraid of this person, who could shut him up so easily and probably able to squash him out of existence. So he stayed quiet.

The silence was long. His consciousness was trapped and it felt like he was in an endless abyss. The other entity was in control. It knew Harry accepted the reality and understood his helplessness. Finally, the voice broke the silence. "My name is Anath," it announced. "Or rather, technically I am the subconscious mind of Anath. My conscious is comatose, a result of that nasty incident you witnessed last year. I think you remember? I was shot dead by a human, a humiliation for which I (of course) took their life."

"That was you? And you're still alive?" Harry could not help but chip in. "How?"

"I was about to explain that…" The voice sounded irritated.

"Sorry, please continue." Harry's interest had been aroused. He loved stories, having lived a dull existence until a year ago.

"Thank you," the voice retorted caustically. It reminded Harry a little of Severus Snape for some reason he couldn't work out. "I am not entirely sure how this was done to us. I did not intend to be trapped here in your unconscious when I took my revenge, and yet here I am. Here both of us are."

"Us? As in you and me?"

"Yes, as in you and me!" Again the voice snapped. This time it reminded him of Aunt Petunia.

"My body had returned to the ship but because you were the nearest and I was so damaged, I was forced to move to you. I have tried to persuade Anath to accept this arrangement, but so far she is unwilling. And without her consent I cannot take control of you." The voice paused. "So now I am trapped here, within your unconscious."

Harry waited but the other voice let the silence stretch out. Eventually he realised that she was not going to offer any more explanation, but he couldn't just let it rest.

"It sounds bizarre, you're living inside me," he muttered. "How could that possible?"

"Our people called those we take a Host. You are our host now."

"I am? Don't I have any choice in this?"

Once again the voice grew angry. "We are Goa'uld. We have taken humans as hosts for centuries." Her voice grew condescending. "I had never taken one. Baal will laugh when he sees this. We were fallen out, fought nearly death on this ideal." She sighed.

"If my death were under normal circumstances with our full mind intact, I would not have taken you… Harry."

It sounded strange when she said his name…"That does not answer my question."

"I do not _need _to answer your question," Anath sneered. "You are lucky, were I any other Goa'uld you would no longer have any control of your precious body!"

"No one will take over my body without my consent," Harry countered. "And no one will force me to use magic without my consent either." And his anger flared as he remembered the Oblivate spell.

"BE QUIET CHILD!" Anath shouted. Her voice became dark and malicious. "The woman would have discovered me if I had not done so and I will gladly destroy your existence if you continue to scream like this."

"Leave me alone, you're a monster." Harry felt pressure as if someone had wrenched the air from his lungs. He started to panic. "Get out, GET OUT!" Harry cried. He tried to think of some way to force the thing out of him, but he couldn't. Why his magic had not done anything? Is it because she had been living inside him and his magic did not recognise her as a threat. He thrashed in his (their?) head trying to get air, trying to break free, but it did no use. Anath was laughing now, and he couldn't breath, and suddenly his nightmare with Quirrell and Voldemort seemed like a walk in the park.

His last thought was of Fluffy's snoring. Then everything shut down.

Harry Potter watched his friends leaving the train platform. The good part had come to an end, and he was not sure what to expect with the Dursleys this summer. It had been a year since he last saw Uncle Vernon and he had not changed a bit; still a nasty man with a quick temper.

Harry contemplated the dream once again. He was a… HOST to a Goa'uld, though he did not know what a Goa'uld was. Was it a weird dream? He had not told anyone about it either, like when the Hat had chose him for Slytherin's House. It was personal.

[Break]

**July 31 1992**

The summer holidays had passed quickly. Only a month to go and yes, he was still being treated the same by the Dursleys, doing all his chores before being allowed get back to his room. Hermione and Ron had not sent a single letter to him, but he had excuses for them. He started to become bitter and wondered if it was all a dream. He had hoped he would receive something at least before midnight. After all, surely they would not forget his birthday!

Harry was not sure what had happened, the day seem to be OK. Well until Dobby turned up, a house-elf apparently, (as the creature had informed him) and everything started to go downhill from there. Shaking, he dropped the letter, and prepared for the verbal abuse to come. He expected it as the giant palm swung down to smack his cheek.

His hand immediately grasped hold of his uncle's hand in midair. Harry did not expected to be able to defend himself. He could feel the other present now, Anath.

It was not a dream, after all. HIS LIFE DID SUCK.

"I may not able to use magic outside school but that does not mean I have no other way to defend myself, you big over-grown BUFFOON." The words rolled out of his mouth smoothly, coldly, leaving Harry afraid for his uncle.

"Please let go off him." He pleaded with his thoughts when Harry saw his hand about to crush his Uncle's hand. His slim fingers would break the bone any second.

Anath ignored him completely.

"I said, released him." Harry yelled and his magic flared up again.

Anath's subconsciousness did not want to go back to sleep. She knew she could not keep control forever. Harry fought and after a moment she gave in. "Fine, you may be happy taking his abuse but I'm not." She huffed and let Uncle Vernon's arm go, leaving the other man frozen. "Stay away, buffoon!" Anath snarled at Dursley before giving Harry back his body. "Or next time I will not be so forgiving." And then finally she quietened down.

There was silence in the room.

"I'm going upstairs now," Harry muttered, embarrassed as he strode off. "Sorry, Uncle Vernon." He said weakly and glanced back, and saw the horrified look in his uncle's eyes. It was the same expression he had when they were abused him. He did not fancy becoming like them.

"Boy, how did you beat me?"

Harry did not bother to answer back. He was not happy. 'MY LIFE IS OVER', he thought dramatically.

[Break]

**December 1992**

Harry Potter ignored the entity inside him, Anath. He had months to practice. He was grateful that she had not taken control of his body since his uncle incident, although he had to admit that that did not make the situation any less worrisome. Harry thought it might be because she was sulking but he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything. He wasn't even sure whether there was a difference between Anath's conscious and unconscious selves. Not that he really cared. He just wanted to get rid of the entity before it could manifest into something dangerous.

His thoughts of defeating Anath only earned a mental sniggering reply.

However, Anath had become a minor problem, an irritation, nothing as profound as what had happened today. Harry rubbed his bridge of his nose, where the line of his glasses was imprinted deeply. How could he deal with it? His return to Hogwarts was like having a banquet in his honour but the reality was different. None of his friends understood him, and he had been truly frightened by the things that had happened to him this year. He laughed and joked about his adventures, they said he was a true Gryffindor, but nobody really understood. He was alone, again…

Ron's words after the Duelling Club had troubled him greatly, him possibly being Slytherin's great-great-great-great-grandson.

"What wrong about being a great-great-great-great grandson of Salazar Slytherin?" Anath probed gently then. The boy was in a lot of trouble and she had ignored the situation. 'It was not my problem but…'

"Didn't you hear... they're all evil. No one decent ever has spoken Parseltongue!" Harry exploded, "What do you know anyway?"

"I know more than you, little boy," she huffed. "Regardless of past history, and the prejudice that I have seen in this world, I doubt that you being a Parseltongue instantly makes you evil."

"Well…no…but-"

Anath cut him off. "I'm an expert, child, in the acquisition of evil. You definitely are not qualified in such an area." She shrugged, "If you want, I could teach you to be evil. It would open your eyes on the possibilities." Harry choked horrifying at the thought as she laughed at his grossed out face. "No? Then perhaps you should remember that evil is not inherent. It is about what you choose to do and what you do not choose to do."

And with that she left him to his thoughts.

TBC…

* * *

Publish Date: 01/10/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	5. Ch 4:Give me your faith, not your doubts

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**_ Run for cover…it's a bashing story of Dumbledore, Ron & Hermione. I like them too but it's fitted my story this way.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and hobbitdoitbetter **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Give me your faith, not your doubts.**

Harry Potter had always lived in the shadow of distrust and ever since he had discovered that he spoke Parseltongue, his distrust of himself and his new life increased. Nevertheless, in Hogwarts he had friends who defended him, and whom he trusted. He was happy, and had even recently begun chatting with Anath, losing some of his fear of her. He was bored since Hermione often went off to research and Ron disappeared somewhere else, so Anath was the only one to talk to. And she wasn't so bad, he thought.

Or at least he did until she made a little bet with him.

"You're really naïve, little boy," Anath sneered. "You think they're doing all this because they care about you, don't you? Your friend: Ron and Hermione." she laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "They do care about me. That's why they watch out for me-"

Anath grinned. It was almost too easy and soon she would have Harry right where she wanted him. This time it would be the truth that brought the boy to her, not some manipulation of hers. "So you're saying they have no ulterior motives?" she inquired innocently.

Harry nodded. "And would you be willing to bet on that?" The boy didn't answer. "Would you?" Still he didn't respond. "Well that shows how much faith you have in them," she taunted.

"What? Just because I'm not accepting a stupid bet..?" Harry stamped off. How he hated her condescending tones, like a devil's advocate. She knew which button to push him. In his head she still didn't answer, just smiled. Let him stew in his own annoyance. Then, it's all falls into place.

"Ok, fine!" He yelled. He blushed when the students nearby snickered at him, though they also looked scared of him as well. They'd probably heard the stories about him…only Ron and Hermione didn't believe the stories.

Did they? DIDN'T THEY? In his head Anath was smiling, playing the innocent.

"Alright," he finally snapped. "What's this bet of yours?"

"Good boy!" Anath replied sarcastically before proceeding to tell him what to do.

Harry told everyone in the common room quite loudly that he was going to bed early, and not long after he sneaked to the library under his family's cloak. Harry felt lucky he had not encountered anyone; this was really stupid. 'Why am I doing this again?' Harry questioned himself. His case would be more doubtful if he ended up near the next attack.

Harry knew the answer to Anath's question, didn't he? He berated himself whilst Anath waited silently in the background humming a song. It was not unpleasant but soothing, the notes were strange. Harry forgot Anath when he saw his friends though. One had her bushy head down in a book and the other trying to look like he understood what she was reading. He smiled turned around, about to go back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I won." And he tried to sneak back out but he had to stop. He clutched his head. His brain hurt like hell, Anath had found a way to torment him without a backlash from magic. She had control of his body systems functions and now she was punishing him. It seemed magic agreed with her. No matter how much he shouted for help nothing happened. She had gained complete control, and the punishment was causing a bloody migraine.

"You're a bitch!" Harry almost screamed it aloud but his voice was locked and not a sound came out. "Alright, I get it, I haven't won YET." The pain disappeared as quickly as it came. Harry proceeded to the table quietly and stopped within hearing range. 'Really,' he thought, 'it sucks to eavesdrop.' But he still waited silently.

"Hermione, you're sure Harry is not the Slytherin Heir?" Ron muttered.

"Positive." She hadn't even taken her eyes off the book. "Really, Ron! The Headmaster is the most brilliant wizard alive. If he said Harry is not one then he's not." Her tone indicated that she did not want any arguments and Harry wondered how long they'd been at this. Ron closed his mouth and didn't push but it was obvious from his expression that he didn't agree.

The silence stretched out.

"Ron, you're not helping." Her eyebrow lifted, questioning him. "Why are you here anyway? Your job is to be with Harry, guarding him."

"I said it before, I checked on him before coming down. He's sleeping." Ron winced. "I hate to babysit him. Why am I the one to do it?"

"If you wanted to change positions, why don't you go and talk to the Headmaster? I'm SURE he'd be happy to see you." Hermione stretched the words, wondering why she was humouring him. But then she never seemed able to help humouring Ron Weasley. The Headmaster had specifically requested they spend time together, actually more like hinted. She could see where this was leading, though, she would let it run its course. After all, if Dumbledore saw a good union between them, then it was worth considering.

"Fine, you made your point!" Ron sighed. He reached for another book and scanned through it. "But I still say anybody can be wrong," he muttered under his breath. "Even, Albus Dumbledore."

Harry stiffly walked out of the library. He did not have a particular place to go. He just wanted to get away and forget it all. Harry was not sure what all that had meant, the implication...Though, right now he hated Anath very much.

'Well, you've always heard that ignorance is bliss',her voice chimed in his head. 'Now you know it's true.'

[Break]

_"I can show you if you like...you don't have to take my word for it." (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret p180)..._

Harry's life did not get any better. The latest victim was the Ravenclaw Prefect, Penelope Clearwater. Harry had nowhere to go when he heard the news, the Common Room was unbearable. He left the others and snuck off, unable to believe that the gentle giant, Hagrid, was the culprit. He intuitively knew it, though his instinct would not able to stop the Minister taking an innocent into custody.

Anath enjoyed her little victory and ignored him after their bet as if she was biding her time. He still owed her a favour since he'd lost, but she didn't try to collect. The only time she made any noise was when Riddle showed Harry his memories and she laughed coldly at the background, mocking the young villain. Harry took the whole things as one of those weird Anath moments. However, without realising it Harry'd doubt and questioned Riddle's story just because Anath saw Riddle as a bad guy. Anath had shown him that she able to read people more easily than Harry. He had kept himself busy so that he would not get the chance to reflect on the whole situation, but he had wondered: were he, Ron and Hermione are still friends? Had they ever really been friends? He felt so hurt.

"Why were you right about them, Anath?" he cried.

She smiled mockingly at his acknowledge. "I have lived longer. I have always questioned everyone's motives." She shrugged. 'It's a Goa'uld thing.'

"You'll learn soon enough." She started imagining this powerful little boy as her personal puppet. She just had to keep manipulating him… "You'll learn that even your precious Dumbledore has an agenda when it comes to you." She left that piece of information for him to chew on.

"What?" Harry's eyes widened.

Anath smiled nastily. One step at a time and the boy would belong to her.

Not Dumbledore.

[Break]

_"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret p234)..._

Anath gawked at the enormous snake slithering across the Chamber toward them. She had seen many things in her life time but not that bloody monster…'The King of Snakes,'she mused bitterly, 'That Idiot Headmaster is definitely right about his enemy's obsessions, which probably means he's right about Voldemort's plan too… If only I cared'_… _The snake hissed, drawing her mind back to Harry's danger. She couldn't let her puppet be destroyed…'Harry, run!'She screamed inside him. 'The Great Anath will not fall in some unknown chamber.' The boy listened and suddenly they were dashing around blindly, trying to escape as the snake approached. She tried to tell him to let her take over but the stupid boy was busy being deaf with fears, and well, doing his best to survive. It was turned out he did not need her help. Harry cried with relief when Fawkes dived toward the Basilisk and cleverly attacked, until it plucked the beast's eyes out.

They watched the blood spurt everywhere, the beast screaming in agony. While the Basilisk struggled, it swept the Sorting Hat from Fawkes into Harry's arms. Anath glimpsed the sword being pulled out. It was as good weapon as any, but Harry stared at it and she realised that the poor boy had no idea what to do with it.

"How the heck he could be so damn useless…"

'Leave this to me Harry, will you trust me? It is my life as well as yours.'Anath did not realise that she had pleaded, it would have shocked her if she'd had time to analyse the situation but then she never felt out of control before.

The boy nodded and she took control.

It was too late.

"You're dead, Harry Potter." Riddle ridiculed the boy, while Anath ground her-_their_-teeth in frustration. She had not been able to take over fast enough, only after the beast had stabbed his fang at them! It looked like they were going to die after all. She could not heal the boy, her symbiote was comatose, barely alive.

'It is the end, as Riddle said.' She sighed. 'Is this what Baal felt when he died?'She had always wanted to experience everything Baal had gone through. Well, maybe not everything, especially if it went against her principles. 'But still…'She had had some good times with the boy, scheming. It had been a while since anyone had able to fully entertain her. It is good to know you, Harry Potter, she told him.

"Yeah, dying with someone beside you is not bad at all." He was slipping away and she felt it.

"Hmm…no, not bad." Perhaps she would even find some peace, with this host.

She felt the burning phoenix tears. Feeling (and pain, lots and lots of pain) returned to her host's body. Anath was a bit angry when she realised she was not dead after all; the moron bird had healed them while she was preparing herself to die. 'What a letdown.'She focused back on their opponent when Riddle reached for her and Harry but she did not have to do anything. Harry had taken the Basilisk's fang and stabbed the book forcefully, taking no chances until all the ink spurted out like blood. It flooded the floor as they exhaled a deep breath.

For a moment neither said anything.

"Well that's finally over!" They both muttered at the same time. Harry laughed nervously and then pulled himself up, the pain in his leg becoming too horrible to ignore. 'I needed to get out of there.' Harry thought. He staggered around, slowly gathered his wand and the Sorting Hat before taking the sword out of the Basilisk's mouth.

Harry checked Ginny. She was alright, and her breathing was getting stronger. Her life force had returned to her and it seemed that she was just sleeping. He sat down, too bruised and tired to carry her out of the chamber. He would have to wait until help arrived or she woke up.

A light glinted inside the doorway, where the Basilisk had first appeared. Harry was curious. He walked closer but the shadow disappeared again. If he wanted to know what it was up there, he needed to get closer. He just wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Any idea what might be up there?" he asked Anath. And then his eyes went back to Ginny. "Or maybe I should wait-"

He could imagine her rolling her eyes in his mind's eye.

Anath could feel the boy's reluctance to leaving the girl by herself. Nevertheless, neither she nor Harry could contain their curiosity for long. She would just have to give a little push for the boy to see things her way. "Ginny should be OK there, I'm sense there is nothing here except us and we can do nothing for her at the moment. It's worth investigating. I doubt the stupid beast was left guarding the chamber by itself, unless Riddle had acquired the treasure already."

"You're right!" The boy thought the word _treasure _with glee, she observed. "Let me," he asked eagerly, and nodded dumbly. It was an irritating habit she vowed she'd soon cure him of.

Anath cast a "**Redeograviton**," charm on them, letting Harry's body become weightless. Up they floated, until they reached the entrance and walked through the round hole. Harry was surprised once again that Anath had a knack of pulling spells out of thin air, spells he had not heard of before. 'Where did she have the time to study them?' he had his suspicions.

The tunnel was long and they found a round door at the end. The door was a snake, with the head is as the knob. It stared rudely at them.

"What?" The snake hissed, watched them like the thing would have loved to swallow them.

"Open!" Harry hoped that his command would work.

"Speaker," the snake rasped, "You'd killed the Basilisk, stupid speaker, had you talked to it you might have saved yourself the trouble." The snake's expression grew smugger. "All you have proven, foolish human, is that the heir of Slytherin was not worthy of controlling the beast. You however did defeat the King beast, that counts for something in my opinion."

Harry looked at it and dumbfound. The snake right, he did not even think of speaking Parseltongue.

"Riddle controlled the beast," Harry sulked.

"Excuses! Perhaps you just enjoy killing your fellow creatures," it muttered mockingly. "In you go. I hope you get what you deserve, Salazar's dim-witted heir." And the door immediately swung open.

The room was small, nothing as glorious as he had expected. The only furniture was an equally small table, on which sat three objects: A book with the word Knowledge written on it, a scrap of cloth with the word Treasure stitched into its surface and a box, which had the word scrolled across its side.

The casket caught Anath's eyes, it was almost the same craftsmanship as Pandora's Box... but that was not possible, she remembered it had been destroyed. A trusted source told her so. Maybe she should have investigated it but no one had spoken of it after the story spread around System Lords.

"Pandora's box?" Harry voiced interrupted her thoughts. "The legend is real?" Anath ignored him. Something told her this was about to get very interesting. Harry scanned the table, looking for traps, until he noticed something carved into the table behind the three objects.

**Choose One, My Heir**, he read. In his head Anath smiled. 'Oh yes,' she thought_, _'this did just get very interesting.'"Well," she prompted, "Let's get on with this."

"But…" Harry looked at the three objects. He didn't want to choose, and yet if he didn't… He knew enough about magic to know that he would have to if he ever wanted to get through that door again. "What you think, Anath?" he asked, playing for time.

She shrugged. "It looks like Salazar left a game for his descendants: 'Knowledge is equal to Power.' 'Treasure is equal to Wealth.' And last but not least is 'Luck is …Luck. The ability to control luck is what humans have always desired."

Harry nodded. "Someone once told me, "An ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom."

"Hm…" Anath wasn't sure she agreed with this given her experiences. Luck was superstitious in her opinion and not something she could count on, yet, there were times she could not explain even with her superior knowledge.

Harry gazed at the objects, weighing them up. Anath did not really care; she doubted Salazar had anything earth-shattering to offer her. However, she also knew that they would have to get out of there. Someone would look for them soon, and if they were caught in here… it would not look good.

"I would choose Knowledge, Harry," she said eventually, trying to speed him along. "It would be good for you."

The boy nodded thoughtfully. "I would never want power. I think Riddle would choose that one." Anath's lips curved, the boy was right. She would have connected with Riddle well... "But what kind of knowledge does this give?" Harry continued. "Maybe I might not want to know all this stuff after I find it out. I'm not Hermione." Anath rolled her eyes at the mention of his friend. Harry sighed, as if he hated to disappoint her, and she smiled. "I think maybe I should go with…luck?" He paused. "Is that alright?"

"It's OK, Harry. You can choose what you want. It's your adventure."

Harry took a deep breath and made his decision: He touched the box. It glowed as if it were charmed to recognise its new master as he opened the lid. Inside there was a small crystal in the shape of a key. Beneath the key was a small piece of paper. Harry took the paper out and immediately a clear, baritone voice sprang out.

"DIMWIT, I should disown you. YOU'RE MY HEIR?You're probably in the House of Gryffindor...THE SHAME**!… **But I'm glad that my heir has inherited this key. My Master, Merlin, did not explain what it was when he entrusted it to me, except that only my true heir would ever choose it. Now go forth with my blessing! The door will close in ten seconds, so get out now." The paper suddenly burst into flame, as Harry ran.

He just made it out on time.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 14/10/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	6. Ch5:Men Willingly Believe What They Wish

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**_ I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and, hobbitdoitbetter and ****Twilight506, **previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Men Willingly Believe What They Wish!**

Harry Potter watched Malfoy Senior being thrown backwards with nonchalance, satisfied as the older man landed further down the hallway. The pureblood was being attacked by his very own ex-house-elf, Dobby; Anath had already prepared a spell for Harry to shield against Malfoy's attack if Dobby had not come forward and defended him. Harry did not bother to check for the welfare of the nobleman; he really didn't care. Although, Anath would had preferred to torture the Death Eater for the LITTLE TROUBLE they had encountered down in the Chamber of Secrets.

They both agreed that their revenge should be another day. They had plenty of time to do it later, without an audience and besides Harry had urgent business to take care of and it was not joining the final feast as Dumbledore had suggested. Harry turned back to Professor McGonagall's office, completely forgetting about Dobby. After all the show was over, he expected Dobby to be gone since everything played out exactly as he had planned. However, the little guy had other ideas. The house-elf wanted to offer the great Harry Potter an opportunity to bond with him. Unfortunately for Dobby, Harry, being Muggle-raised, had no clue what was expected of him in such situation.

That did not stop the house-elf trying to persuade the boy.

"Wait, Harry Potter, sir." Dobby shrieked shrilly, popping in front of him and attempting to gain Harry's attention.

"Yes Dobby!" Harry forced a smile. He knew he had better listen to the house-elf or he would be sorry later. The little creature could be very creative. However, Harry was having a very long day and some part of him wished the little creature would just 'bloody leave me alone!' He wanted to rest.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" the house-elf grasped his hand and looked adoringly at Harry as if Dobby couldn't believe that Harry had freed him. Harry's heart softened at the pitiful house-elf and like him, the creature had been waiting for someone to rescue, but Harry had decided for himself that he would not waiting anymore. He would take the chance, with Anath backing him, and fights for his freedom. Harry was sure of at least one thing, Anath would not let him die if she could help it as the battle in the Chamber had showed him. Harry had felt the connection with Anath.

Harry gave the house-elf encouragement as they talked before he finally shooed Dobby off fondly and wished the elf luck with his new life. Harry did not see the house-elf's disappointment before he disappeared. The hall became empty once again as Harry adjusted his clothes, a little nervous perhaps, but he was ready to face the Headmaster.

Anath was right; he had an unfinished business with Dumbledore and it would be better to deal with the man when everyone else was at the feast. Anath reminded him that this was a golden opportunity for currently the Headmaster was occupying McGonagall's office. Harry would therefore have an advantage over his surrounding since there would be no portraits to spy upon them. It would just be the Headmaster and Harry Potter, with no unwanted interruptions. Anath had been gleeful to help Harry to diminish his uneasiness. After all, Harry would not believe it, hence, no one else would believe what he was about to do.

Well, not him particularly, but Anath.

Harry's fingers slipped into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle then. He tilted the bottle up to the light to check its contents. The contents were a clear, colourless and odourless liquid, VERITASERUM,which Anath had given him. He wondered where she got it. 'Had she made the truth serum or had she stolen it?' Anath remained silent, refusing to answer, 'Oh well,' he thought, she could have her LITTLE secret. Harry sulked, before placing it back inside his sleeve where a small pocket had been added on by Anath. She told him about the bottle while they walked away from the Chamber of Secrets. He was shocked since he had no idea that there was a pocket, much less that he been carrying Veritaserum around. Though he quickly agreed to…persuade their Headmaster to reveal what he had been keeping Harry in the dark about.

"There's no going back!" he whispered, a warning for him though he could not help but be excited as well. They were about to play a dangerous game with the most powerful wizard of their time.

"But would you, Harry?" Anath asked, seeing that there some doubt in his thoughts. "I made the truth serum but the old man has all the answers." She finally admitted that she made the serum and hid herself once again. The boy had to make this final decision, it was important for them. Anath had given him the control in this decision, at least. She knew the boy would be hers after tonight.

Harry hands pushed the door open and saw the Headmaster holding a bowl in his hands, its contents glowing blue and white. Harry's curiosity was piqued, though he would not ask what it was. He would find out for himself later. The headmaster put the object down, frowned slightly at Harry's entrance but the twinkling eyes did not dampen and were as bright as his colourful robes.

"Harry, dear boy, I thought you'd be at the feast by now."

"Hello, again, sir." Harry's shuffled his feet, acting as if he was a nervous little kid.

"You've something to tell me." Dumbledore was smiling at him like an old grandfather, and Harry almost felt guilty but he clutched his palm and refused to back down.

"I was about to leave for the feast but I remembered I still have a few questions that I needed to clear up with you, sir. It won't take too much of your time."

"Of course, fire away! So Dobby is free?" the old man beam at him, tried to let the boy settle comfortably in his seat.

"Yes sir." Harry smiled happily, hoping to disarm the Headmaster.

"I'm glad that you came up with that idea, very clever of you, dear boy. Though, you should be more careful in the future. Mr Malfoy can be a very dangerous person."

Harry stared, innocently at the master, "I understand. I'll be very careful."

"Now what's troubling you, Harry?"

"I'm wondering…Sorry, I'm really thirsty. Could I have some tea, please?" Harry tried not to be too forward.

"Ah, here is the tray. It looks like Professor McGonagall was having tea with Mr and Mrs Weasley before we got here." Dumbledore went to pour some of the hot liquid and Harry hurriedly reached over him.

"Let me make the tea, thanks." Harry grasped the teas pot and proceeded to make two cups, trying to be careful without being too excited.

"There is no need to make one for me. I'm fine, Harry."

"It's all right. It's no trouble at all, sir."

Dumbledore wasn't paying attention. "Fawkes is not here," He looked around for the phoenix. He had not thought about the firebird until now, a fact for which Harry was grateful. Maybe he did have sheer dumb luck after all, since he wasn't sure how the bird would react to what he was about to do. "I supposed Fawkes needs his rest after the battle too," Dumbledore mused after a moment. "Are you sure you're alright, Harry?"

"Umm…Yes, I'm fine. Could do with a bit of a rest too I supposed, but Fawkes' tears have done wonders." again he smiled like an innocent little boy.

Harry started to slip back then, allowing Anath to take over for the next stage.

Immediately, Anath's eyes went to the Headmaster and then pulled back. The old man was preparing to use Legilimens on them. She had yet to learn how to counter against it but being a Goa'uld, she would likely be able to fool the old man. That did not mean however that she wanted to test the theory yet. She sighed. 'Better safe than sorry, I suppose,'she thought and dredged up the appropriate memories from Harry's life, blocking off all traces of the Goa'uld in his mind. It was easy enough to do, though, Anath also planned to study this mind/emotion reading technique further at a later date. She would also be very pleased to find out how to afflict pain back on the attacker.

Anath happily stirred the cups, allowing the serum to blend along with the sugar. She was sure that the Headmaster did not see the liquid that had poured. Human eyes were easily deceived by the speed she had used. "Anath what are you doing with our cup?" Harry's spoken outrage only amused her further, for she had added the serum to both cups, just in case Dumbledore picked the other one.

"Don't worried Harry, just watched the MASTER play. Did I ever tell you about the time when I gambled a kingdom through a drinking game?" Inwardly she smiled. "Truth serum is hardly an organ-rotting poison." She pushed the cup towards the old man, smiling at him over its rim. "So this game is not nearly so dangerous."

"Oh, that sounds interesting…what sort of game was it?" Harry assumed there was antidote since Anath was very much alive before he met her. The Goa-uld did not bother to correct the boy. It would be easier on them both if she distracted him while she worked on the old man. "It's a random selection, five cups out of ten hold poisons and I drank randomly until only five were left." Anath's conscious mind stirred suddenly, the memory of satisfaction watching her enemy die in agony was enjoyable. Anath wonder if this is a key she has been seeking but Herself (her consciousness) has resublimed as soon as Anath caught the glimpse of reawakening.

Anath's concentration went back to the Headmaster. The old man had chosen the cup that was nearer to Harry. His instinct was not too bad, a worthy adversary at least. Anath reverted control to Harry. She'd leave the rest of the evening to him.

[Break]

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._"

"That is a load of CRAP!" Harry was seriously pissed off. He thought of what his family must have gone through...His Mother and Father, dying because of this_._

"Men willingly believe what they wish!" The Headmaster replied. 'Riddle believed Harry was a threat instead of Neville,' and though he would have put it less harshly to the boy the truth serum was too strong for him to resist. His Occlumency skills would have helped if he knew and prepared for the attack, but without knowing beforehand, his mind was still trying to come to terms with what the boy did to him.

Anath pushed her voice into his mind again. "Harry hurry up, he's still hiding something about that diary. It's got to do with Riddle's power. I saw a glimpse in his eyes when you told him what happened in the Chamber."

"Riddle's Diary, I want to know about it."

At that Dumbledore seemed to struggle a little. He truly did not seem to want to explain, but the serum couldn't be shaken off. Still, the struggle showed that its effects were weakening. "It's a Horcrux," he muttered eventually.

"Which is?" Harry prompted. "Oh, and why would he want one?" In case he forgot to ask.

Again Dumbledore struggled. "An object in which Voldemort has hidden a part of his soul for the purpose of attaining immortality...there is probably more than one." The Headmaster's blue eyes were no longer twinkling: The boy was clearly dangerous and the questions had become more than a normal boy's curiosity. It was almost as if someone else was looking out at him through Harry's eyes.

Anath tried to ignore her host's shock and focus. He was scared and trying to wrest back control. "Harry, not now... I'm concentrating. The old man will regain his senses soon…" And she struggled to maintain her strength.

"What are you planning for me, old man?" Harry grunted. He was thinking of punching the man, would have done it too if not for the pathetic aging grandfather look on his face. However, without his meaning to, his magic channel to the table and cracked it, an amazing feat without his even having to raise his wand.

"I'm sorry but for the greater good, you must be a sacrifice. One individual..." And he trailed off. He was fighting the serum in earnest now. "...You're probably a Horcrux… Voldemort's last defence…"

Harry grasped the edge of the broken table and felt it was hard to breathe. He had expected treachery tonight, but not this. Anath could feel his ability to think rationally melting away and she forced herself to the fore-front of his mind again. She would not let adolescent shock deprive her of answers. This opportunity would not come again.

"Why are you placing Har...me at the Dursleys?" she demanded. "You must know what they're like."

"I'm sorry but I need to place you at the Dursleys, your mother's blood only protects you while you live with her blood-relatives. The petty cruelties of the Dursleys are far preferable to the possibilities for torture if Voldemort were able to capture Harry…"

Anath moved quickly, dazing the old man with an Oblivate spell and preparing to leave. She was not sure about the last response since the old man has probably regained enough strength to throw off the truth serum. It was time for them to go. There was no reason to linger. Anath quickly fixed the room up with Harry's wand before quietly closing the door behind her.

"Men willingly believe what they wish!" The words echoed and it had bugged him. He couldn't contain his irritation any longer. He needed to get it off his chest and who better to turn to than the one whom always there for him? "What do you think, Anath?"

"Are you sure, you're ready to hear what I think?" Anath teased the boy. In a few short hours Harry had been forced to grow up. Anath knew she was responsible for this development and strangely it did not make her feels the usual triumph. The boy was clearly having a bad effect on her.

"Please." Harry's childish reply made Anath feel a bit relieved for some reason.

Although she wanted him to grow up, she didn't like the idea that it would happen so soon. Or that she would be responsible but if he genuinely wanted her opinion, "I would have agreed with Dumbledore before about the greater good." she added silently 'for me particular.'

"That was before I knew you Harry. Now…" she sighed. "It's complicated."

"Huh?"

She couldn't bring herself to say it, this strange bond they were having. "You'll understand someday," she finished lamely.

"So, where will we go from here?" Harry inquired. It occurred to him that his path had changed drastically in only a couple of minutes, and that perhaps he should be grateful to leave the Wizarding World behind. After all, only Anath had truly been honest with him all this time. She deserved some say in his- their- life. The other voice gasped as if she was shocked at the suggestion.

"How about back to the Dursleys as Dumbledore suggested?" she asked playfully.

"You're joking, right?" She didn't answer and Harry wondered if he'd be better off ignoring her again. Then he heard her laughter echo in his skull as he set out and realised, it was a bit late for that.

TBC…

* * *

Publish Date: 26/10/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	7. Ch6:The first step binds one to second

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

_**AN:**_ Warning - The story will slightly split off from Harry Potter Canon from this chapter. AU.

Kinetite- generate energy globe for attack- reference taken from Star War

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and ****Twilight506 **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 6: The first step binds one to the second.**

The express train speeding toward London crossed over the lovely countryside. The train carried Hogwarts' students, young witches and wizards, homebound for their summer holiday. It was no surprised that the chattering voices were concerned about their holiday plans. Only some of the year sevens took the trouble to appreciate the scenery and not surprisingly, the majority were from the Hufflepuff House.

It was the end of their education and tomorrow the bright young wizards and witches would be entering the adult world. Many felt overwhelmed with their new responsibilities in conjunction with the transition process. The Wizarding World was a lot more complicated than the Muggle World. In addition to the nervous seven years, Harry Potter was another who was contemplating his future. If he had any say in the matter, this would be his final year.

Harry found that Anath was not cooperative, which was to be expected since she had her own agenda. Had she not taught him to beware of other people's motives? Harry wondered if she really meant it. It was ridiculous for them to return to the Dursleys for summer. He decided he definitely would not, no matter what, agree to go back. Harry had not believed the Headmaster; the statement was a little too convenient at the time. He wasn't sure he should treat Dumbledore as a trustworthy source since he had broken free of the truth serum.

Harry sighed, he had a lot to mull over but he was not in the mood to analyse everything so he pushed the thoughts back into a corner. The most important issue for him at the present was to get away and start a new life again. When he first learned he was a wizard, Harry had hoped it would be a fresh start, but it seemed the Wizarding World was not the fairytale as he had pictured when he received the Hogwarts invitation letter.

'What was so great about a world where adults handed the weight of the world over onto a baby's shoulder and expected a child to liberate them?' Harry knew it was a selfish thought but he was incredibly afraid and angry with regard to the prophecy. He was sure his parents had not died for him so that he could throw his life away so easily. His troubled thoughts would surely be heard by his other. They would reach London soon and yet Anath still ignored him.

Harry was alone in the compartment and he preferred it that way. Harry was a bit lonely and he partially wished Anath would keep him from his musings but her quietness allowed him to dwell on the darker thoughts. Harry was not sure why he was the one that sneaked into the train when it should have been his so-called friends. Harry had not cut them off completely at the feast, but he paid little attention to them. He wasn't sure how deep the betrayal went. The others were like him, just children, surely their friendships with him were not solely based on Dumbledore's manipulation.

"ANATH, ANATH." Harry screamed in his head. Why he hadn't he thought of that? She hated it when he yelled telepathically. He figured it must affect the symbiote.

"What Harry?" the voice asked impatiently. "I'm busy!"

"BUSY? What you could be doing when I'm moving this body? Anyhow, you know what I'm getting at." Harry replied in a tone was not much better than hers.

"Hahaha…very funny. It doesn't require much effort to move the body. If you must know, I've been trying to come up with strategies on how to escape the old man's clutches."

"What if we just disappeared and lived among the Muggles for the rest of our lives?" He smiled hopefully at the idea.

"It's a good thing that one of us is doing the thinking for us, Harry. Have you forgotten of The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry Law?"

"Well…I…"

"I've read about the tracking spell they've placed on everyone, including Muggle-born witches and wizards. It's placed on them when they enter the wizard world. It would be of no surprise if you, a child of wizard parents, had your magic signature imprinted in their file from birth."

"Are you saying we couldn't escape until we resolve this?" Harry frowned. "I supposed this is how the wizard world kept track of everyone's movements." He twisted the glasses on his face. His green eyes darkened to almost black at the snag in their plans.

"Hmm…magic is not something I've had experience with until I met you. If it is technology, such as chip implanted I could easily remove or figure out how to disable it. Although, I did spend time researching the topic but always had fruitless results. Many books have indicated that the information is Ministry Classified. Regardless, there is another problem with Dumbledore. I am suspicious about the house-ward…"

"The Dursley's House?" Harry interrupted.

"What other house could you possibly have?" Anath mocked.

"What about my parents, well my father actually…come to think of it…the book recorded that mine ' or my mother's sacrifice,' supposedly defeated the Dark Lord at Godric Hollow, a family house."

"Ah…Granger's book that she lent to you." Anath mused on the thought. "It may work out after all but we still need to go to the Dursley's, Harry." Harry snarled and folded his arms displaying physical displeasure, hoping it would demonstrate to her how much he was against the idea.

"Really Harry, sulking does not become you… and Malfoy does it better." Harry glared but cracked into laughter when Draco's cocky face appeared into his mind. Harry shuddered. He wasn't desperate to learn how to behave as a Malfoy.

"I do have a few plans and its best if we thought over them together." Anath decided to reveal some of them to Harry since she needed his cooperation. "I thought about it and there aren't many options available after breaking the tracking spell. As a wizard, I don't know if it is possible for you to survive without being fully trained…we couldn't completely cut off magic, it is inside and a part of you. I studied your bodily functions while you were in school; you seem to be more stable than you were on holiday when magic was being used. My perception is that the more spells you've learned, the magic in your core seems be more 'content' and progresses into maturity…I could not find a better way to describe it."

Anath watched the information sink into Harry. She too had been perplexed by magic. Anath had come across similar abilities in the wizards and witches of Terra but it was not the same. The Norreans, the Azatheans and the Vosteans were a few in her kingdom's population that would have some these abilities. The Norreans were famous for their kinetic powers such as kinetite and telekinesis. The Azathean were more elemental. The foundation of their power focused on harmony with nature. The Vosteans were more telepaths and healers. Anath had lived with them for over five thousand years and she had studied her people just as long. It was definitely not magic. Magic as she had learned from living inside Harry was another separate entity and yet it was not; and in a way it was very similar to symbiote. She could feel magic when she was with other witches and wizards, so it was not like symbiote for it was the same entity and yet… it was still separate. She decided it would be best if she kept this to herself and observe these people further.

"Uh…right, so does that mean me requiring magic education?"

"I learned there are numerous magical schools in the world, Harry. However, I did think of self study as another option. This still means that we'll need to be living in the Wizarding World which is why I thought your family house would do the trick. Or would you prefer my first plan… we could travel around the Wizarding World."

"I think self study would be much better. I can set my own pace and I'm sure it's better for you as well, to keep from being discovered. Madame Pomfrey nearly detected you."

"That has been a good deal in my thoughts lately." Anath agreed.

"We'll return to the Dursley's." Harry bit his lip, annoyed, but it could not be help. "It would be for the last time." Anath reassured him.

[Break]

**July 31st 1993**

Harry Potter slammed the door shut, "that was close", and allowed himself to cool down from the heat caused by his running before striding to the mirror to check his makeup. The reflection of him was not as perfect as it had been when he first left the room this morning, but everything that was important remained intact. The dusty chocolate hair waist length (potion growth) and was pinned back as was the custom of the wizard aristocracy. Muggle hair dye only worked for a week before his hair completely regained the original colour. It was a nuisance but beggars could not be choosers. At least no one could comment on the famous Potter hair. The fake skin was still nicely bound on his forehead, hiding the Boy-Who-Lived symbol and the contact lenses did wonders for his new image as well.

He doubted anyone would recognise him but he still had a major problem.

His magic signature.

The bloody thing was like a neon sign during the night. He was lucky that the Dursleys had not raised the alarm of him being missing. They were probably celebrating. But being out alone in the Wizarding World was not great as he initially thought. He often mingled into a large crowd to hide himself, but it didn't help whenever they were neared Aurors. He had noticed the Wizarding Enforcers would somehow immediately pick up his signature and look around for him.

"Relax Harry. As I said, it's all to do with your magical core. They are not looking for you per se, but a strong wizard. A strong wizard means danger to them; they're just trying to keep an eye out for the safety of the populace. We, however, just happen to want to be inconspicuous and not a walking target." Anath smirked. She was very happy with how things had been turning out lately with the exception of their small problem.

Harry walked over to the bed, kicking his shoes off before lying down. It had been a hectic month, first with their escape from the Dursleys' house, "We left the Dursleys, not escaped…" Anath reminded him, "It was like a prison for me, so I definitely escaped it." Harry replied with strong conviction.

**Flashback ….**

"_What do you think you're doing in there, BOY? Open up, open this door at once!" Uncle Vernon banged on the door. It shook a bit but he ignored the noises and continued to purify the room. _

"_Harry, I think this is a bit excessive." Anath watched the boy spray the liquid across the room, a potion they had made to nullify the ward and charms that had been placed on the house. Vernon may not have been magical but he must have felt something had gone wrong when the ward broke. _

_The ward was not really there to protect Harry instead it was there to protect the Dursleys. It was so amusing that Anath cracked up with laughter as the boy mentally looked on with confusion. When she calmed, Anath told Harry to take out a book from his trunk. He obeyed and was amazed to find he was gazing upon the mysterious book. It should not have been there. He had packed the trunk and it was not there before. _

"_Wards" He mumbled over the title. Anath spoke, "Harry, open to page 1054. It should be there." _

_The boy was holding his breath until he finished the short chapter and his face contorted with anger. "Take it down, I want to take it down...accidental magic...this is all about the __repression__ of my magic." _

"_Harry calm down, your magic is building up again and it will only feed into this ward. Dumbledore does have a sense of humour; two birds with one stone, he was right. In a way the house also protected you from the Death Eaters for it hid the Dursleys and you from the Wizarding World. However, it was __powered__ by your magic. The source is you."_

"_There is another spell cast on this house; it was the old man's own charm for monitoring you..."_

"_Anath, you mean he's spying on me right?" Harry grumbled._

"_It is a good thing we're back. If we were not he would immediately have known."_

"_I don't care; I don't see it that way. What can we do now? If we cast a spell we're doom; either way I am trapped here. We shouldn't have come back Anath!"_

"_Ah, but have you forgotten that I am always prepared. Potions are not detectable Harry...you should listened in Snape's classes."_

"_The greasy git..."_

"_That is Weasley talking Harry," Anath chided him. The boy still had much to learn._

"_Open up!" loud bangs once again brought them back._

_Harry Potter swung the door open when he finished his task and he was not in the mood for pleasantries. "I'm about going to bed __UNCLE, sorry, did you want something?" Uncle Vernon quickly dashed a look around the small room and it looked like everything was still in place. He backed off slightly remembering the boy's strength last summer._

"_Just don't try anything..." he warned and walked back to his room. _

_It was their last night at Dursleys' house. The next morning Harry was not found in the smallest room of number 4 Privet Drive. On the old wooden single bed was a piece of paper addressed to the Dursleys._

**End Flashback**...

"Let's see the Prophet, Harry. The inn atmosphere seems to be a bit tense since we came in." Anath decided to let him think of it as an escape. It was pointless to argue with a mule.

"Tension...really? I didn't notice… I was a bit off from running," Harry answered.

"Yes, there were whispers and people looking over their shoulders more than usual." The boy needed to watch his surrounding more carefully, should she train him? It would give him another advantage and YET, Harry was her host...life and death is always decided by the mere power of observation. She would dwell on this later.

Harry jumped off the bed and sat down at the table where the newspaper, the Prophet, magically replaced itself every day.

"Black Escapes" jumped out as the headline of the paper. "The paper isn't helpful. It reports an inmate has escaped their prison this morning." He skimmed over it. Harry chucked the newspaper away; it had nothing to do with him. Voldemort's Right-Hand-Man, INDEED, what a joke, the man looks like a living corpse and yet those wizards were quivering.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 09/11/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	8. ch7:Wherever yougo,go with all yourheart

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

_**AN:**_ Alternative Universe, this chapter is not following cannon. I'm not sure what state of Godric Hollow is like and have not read the seventh book yet.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and Twilight506 **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Wherever you go, go with all your heart.**

The birds' chippings woke Harry Potter early in the morning. It was not even six a.m. yet. He was used to being awake at that time so he could prepare the Dursleys' breakfast. Harry hadn't bothered to change his sleeping habits as it seemed pointless to be lazing about in his current environment. The golden lights of dawn brought the room from its darkness and revealed a rundown room, broken furniture and cracked walls. The rest of the house was in no better state. However, the house was still structurally sound enough to be lived in. Harry once again wished he was able to break the tracking spell as he wanted to be able to perform some cleaning spells. 'Reparo would be useful spell, but not at the risk of being detected by the Ministry,' he thought. Harry did not mind the physical labour but the house was quite large and it would take many months before the place was turned into decent living conditions, though it brought him comfort that this was his family house.

Godric Hollow was not what he had pictured for the Potter House; there were no family paintings hanging on the wall nor did it contain any personal items that indicated what was the owners were like. It appeared like a safe-house and every piece within the house functioned for necessary daily living rather than luxury. Harry felt slightly cold from the eerie atmosphere and he would have preferred it to be warmer like the Wealeys' Burrow perhaps.

The only room that he felt emotional attached to was the master bedroom, once was occupied by his parents. Harry discovered a small bassinet in the corner of the room and a little stuffed bunny that was singed. He had put the damaged toy inside his trunk, another memento of his childhood. Harry remembered when he first clutched it; it was hours later and he had still felt dazed yet he was unable to shed a single tear, unable to move, until Anath demanded him to get a hold of himself.

Today, Harry intended to sort out the kitchen. He moved a piece of burned wood that might have been a chair once, outside the room. Harry eyes glanced around the room again and he wondered why on earth the place was so very ordinary. It almost seemed to be a Muggle house rather than a Wizarding house; maybe his Mother renovated the place to suit her needs because she was a Muggle-born, though it seemed unlikely. Harry had searched the house thoroughly; he had thought that he would able to gather information and he had learned a bit more regarding his parents but thus far the impersonal house had given him very little. It was frustrating. That didn't stop Harry carrying on. However, hoping that just maybe there was something here buried beneath all the trash. Anath knew better than to interfere and she had discovered her own little problem with which to contend.

Anath had not considered how the whole affair had affected Harry. She would have never would put her parents on a pedestal. Her relationship with the Goa'uld was mostly base on a power struggle. She didn't count her close relationship with Baal, her twin. She found she was not able to participate in Harry experiences. This, however, was the least of her worries.

She tried to comprehend the difference between them. She knew her parents well enough but she struggled with an inherent urge to crush them. Anath was confused, and her thoughts were conflicted on this matter. She did however begin to regret choosing to come here. Somehow, Harry's strong feelings had started to affect her in a way that she least expected; one of the deep impressions she began to understand was sorrow. The Goa'uld were twisted creatures. While they experienced all the negative emotions (hate, anger and other darker feelings), sorrow and grief were not among them. She felt numb at the lost of Baal but she did not grieve his death. Harry had begun to show her what could have been and Anath began to fear. The new found emotion was better off blocked away, she finally decided. She was unsure what went wrong since from what she knew of Goau'ld history, this was not suppose to happen. That they had not yet bonded made it all the more disturbing and she wondered what might happen once they did.

Anath had checked the house before they were settled, the only charms unbroken were the anti-Muggle, a repelling charm, and a notice-me- not spell, beside that, it was abandoned like the rest of surrounding area. The house seemed to be in the extract state that it had been thirteen years ago minus the bodies. The first few days after they had arrived, they had made a round; ensured it is safe to stay there, and luckily, found the place to be a ghost town. The neighbourhood had been abandoned long gone, likely soon after Voldemort attacked the Potters. Godric was considered a dangerous town to live thus making it the perfect hiding place.

Harry Potter was pleased with his work. He was, for the first time in his life, grateful for the Dursleys' ill-treatment of him, for he now had the skills needed and had done wonders with the kitchen. 'Quite a handyman, don't you think, Anath,' he chuckled, applauding himself on a job well done.

Harry finally sat down on a chair with a steaming a cup of tea. He was glad to find some can foods, preserved by magic, in the kitchen cupboards. He had not thought about food when he made the journey here. Harry scolded himself for being careless but it had seemed Anath had not thought about it either. She grumbled about not being served and the tasks being beneath her, much like Aunt Petunia yet a lot kinder, he thought. Harry then snickered_. _'The mighty are fallible too…' Harry stopped, 'oh, gosh, I sound like you!_' _This left her feeling a few shade paler at the suggestion.

His attention wandered to the vegetables and herbs that were growing in the backyard, another handy food source for them. The garden was overgrown but would last for years nonetheless. Even still, Harry decided to cultivate it into orderly paths like the one he did for Aunt Petunia. Harry Potter was a practical person. He was brought up that way by the Dursleys out of necessity. The steaming cup was soothing and he felt as if the world was at peace with him. Anath completely relaxed under the cup of tea that she grown to love as she contemplated what could have gone wrong while Harry's mind imagined what it could have been, thirteen years ago, under this very roof.

Their short little break however was interrupted by someone trespassing into the house.

Harry instincts reacted at once, his hand grabbed hold of the wand. 'A walking stick would be better,' Anath mocked in the background as they crept toward the front of the house to investigate. They heard the door creak open, then came rattling noises which were from the small trap they had set a few nights ago. It consisted of pieces of small furniture that would collapse on top of whoever was coming in the front door.

Harry clamped his mouth shut so he didn't burst out laughing at the poor sod and Anath was pleased that her host had not lost his childlike humour. Suddenly they heard the intruder swearing non-stop and unwittingly taught Harry some new colourful vocabulary as the boy listened on.

BANG!

Harry stiffened in shock and wondered what could have caused all that racket. Without taking any precaution he ran in to witness the man in a heap onto the floor, not far from a puddle (likely from the bottle of wine) on the floor. Harry shook his head at the unlucky man, and raised the wand at him. He knew he had two options, he could try to scare him off or he would have to use the wand. However, Harry's green eyes widened when he recognised the captive man.

It was Sirius Black. Voldemort's right-hand-man and an escapee from Azkaban.

"Well, well…looks at what we have here, Anath." Harry's smile twisted to mirror to Anath feelings. Harry had come to enjoy mimicking Anath as he thought she was cool in her dealings with their adversaries. It was better than being a sideshow as "Harry, the Boy-Who-Lived".

Harry has no problem letting Anath handling Voldemort's man. He felt slightly sorry for Black.

"I'll handle this one, Harry." Anath accepted the offer; ignored Harry little acts earlier and was already eyeing the fireback hanging on the fireplace mantle, a few steps away and easily snatched. She smirked thinking she would like to permanently damage the man beyond recognition. Anath thirsted for blood and it had been a while since she had been in a fight. The peaceful years had dulled her a bit and with recent events she welcomed her darker side. Perhaps this was what she needed to regain what she had lost. She also hoped that by fighting and using violence she would receive pleasure and entertainment thus awakening HERSELF from slumber.

Maybe cruelty is what she need; after all she was a Goa'uld.

"James!" Sirius whispered, not sure if he was seeing things. He blinked twice but the image did not disappear. Before now he would have been sure that he was sane even if he did spend thirteen years in Azkaban, but now he wasn't sure. Regardless of his mental state, Sirius was too happy to care but his pleasure at seeing his childhood friend was short lived. Instead of a cheerful reunion he expected, Sirius found he was trapped in a nightmare where James was striking at him with a fireback. Sirius struggled to escape the iron rod, though it was an effort in futility.

He was bleeding now and he knew his ribs were cracked from the earlier attack. The pain was beyond his endurance and it was then he started to howl. This was it. He was finally paying for his mistake, which had cost his best friend and his family dearly.

"James…" Sirius didn't know that he was screaming the name aloud instead whimpering as before.

[Break]

"James…" the name tore from Black and reached Harry.

"Anath please stopped." Harry was a bit scared as he observed the scene. It had been all one sided attacks. Black was completely defenceless. The strikes had come quickly; so furiously fast that he could only hear only swoop sounds. The first hit had knocked the man off his feet, the second disabled his left arm, and the last broke a rib. It was so horrible that he should have turned away instead of staring directly at the man. He feared he would vomit.

Anath's intense raged disappeared. She sighed and felt a bit dissatisfied. She had been nearly able to shut the man up for good. She heard the whispered "James" when Black first saw them but she had shut the noise out. Because it had been spoken in so softly she could have easily hidden the information and then her fun would not have been spoiled. It made no difference to her whether he was guilty or if he had been wrongly accused. No, the man was not innocent like Harry, no one she had ever met was innocent like Harry. Sirius Black had eyes has showed of deep flaws but she knew he was not a malicious person. She watched him slip into unconsciousness.

She sighed again. Harry's voice had stopped her and once again she was amazed how Harry could influence her. Baal wasn't even able to stop her when she gone into a rampage. She remembered her brother and how he preferred when someone else was doing the dirty work for him. Baal had cleverly manipulated her sisterly worshiping of him to the point that Anath had single handily wiped out most of his rivals. It was why she had lost in that final battle with him. She had not realised how strong he was because she had underestimated him. While she had been training, he had been watching and learning. Baal countered every move she had made, he had known her blind spots and it had been too late for her. Anath twisted the fireback as it broken in half. The frustration inside her was burning brighter…waiting till the day they met again.

Anath shut herself away, leaving Harry to control the body as the boy rushed to Black's side to checking on his health.

[Break]

"Hi" Harry timidly spoke, watching as Black slowly opened his eyes. Sirius Black was disoriented but he saw his childhood friend and tried to sit up.

"James!" he cried. Happiness filled him once again.

"No, I'm Harry. I was told I looked like my dad."

"I think you're better laying down." Harry advised as he pushed him back down gently. Sirius eyes didn't leave his face; the man seemed to have trouble accepting the situation. "I'm sorry, but I'm unable to help you with healing spells…being underage and all." Harry waved his wand and he focused on Sirius as the man winced in pain. "Emmm...sorry about that, I can give you some potions to reduce your throbbing…you're not a Death Eater, are you?" It was not so much a question as a statement.

"Why do you think that?" The man's grey-blue eyes widened a fraction. The boy's lips curved into a smile.

"Your arm," Harry pointed. "There's no Dark mark there. I took the liberty of bandaging you. I really am sorry for the wounds." Sirius sank back as he remembered what had happened. The boy may come across as innocent but the memories of that same face from the attack had been merciless.

"Why are you here?" Sirius looks at his godson and shivered once again.

"Here? Why shouldn't I? Is this not my house?" Harry retorted.

"I learned that you lived with Lily's sister. I went there to check but I could not find you. I was in a bit of a panic and decided to come here and regroup, and then consider new strategies." Sirius wondered why he replied the question easily. He blamed it on his injuries and that he was feeling a bit delirious, but it didn't cross his mind that he had been given truth serum.

"Ah…" Harry studied the man further. Sirius Black was interesting; the man had known his family and was quite close to them apparently. Black appeared worse than in his recent photo that was in the newspaper. His gaunt face showed years of suffering in Azkaban.

"I remembered Petunia at your parents wedding and I was worried about you that's why I headed there first..." Sirius trailed off and then remembered the boy's welfare. "Are you OK? Harry."

Harry was surprised at the question and Sirius Black's tone expressed that he cared. Harry decided to be truthful with the man. "What would you like to hear…? I have a nice little life there? No, of course not…I decided to run away and here I am."

"Run away, Harry. What are you thinking?" Sirius screamed.

"What right are you to tell me what to do? Not even the old coot could…"

"What right…" Sirius fumed, he finally lost it. "I'M YOUR GODFATHER!" Sirius coughed, his ribs hurt. He did realise he had no real right, but this not how he pictured his godson. Sirius felt silly; he had yelled at Harry just when all he ever wanted to do is to make it up to the boy.

Harry was shocked and stared at him.

"Sorry Harry. You're right! I'm just worried that you'll run into Death Eaters. What about Dumbledore?" Sirius tried to change the subjects.

"Dumbledore" Harry sneered. "I'm better off without him; he told me I'm a weapon to be sacrificed."

"Surely not, the man is like Santa. James and I were able to get away almost everything at school because he favoured us." Sirius frowned. The memories were happy but the old man DID leave him to rot in Azkaban.

Sirius Black decided right then, whatever happened, he would have Harry best interests before anyone else's. Sirius slowly recounted to Harry his long tale and when he finished the day was nearly over. Harry shook his head; he was not sure how to take it. He needed time to adjust to the newfound knowledge; the betrayal was hard but Sirius Black was not blameless either. Harry was angry for Sirius and at Sirius.

"Let me think about this. This whole business seems to be a setup by the others." Harry stood up. He needed to prepare dinner and he would go it again that night.

"Harry, you said something about unable to performing magic…"

Harry swung around, "Yes, I desperately need it to heal you, as well as to clean this place up," he said as he waved his hands around at the mess.

Sirius looked troubled as if he were struggling with a decision, "I think…no, I know I could help you with that."

"You could?" Harry walked to man, excited and held his breathe. "How? I've looked..."

"I was an Auror before. I did work on some cases regarding the Underage Wizarding Laws and I had the authorised clearance to study tracking spells. Come here, it'll be easier if I destroy it for you. The Ministry hasn't been able to find me thus far because of this." It was then Sirius Black realised he did not have the wand. Harry was feeling a bit wearied but he knew Black would not hurt him.

"Here." Harry pulled the wand out his robe and placed it into the man's hand. Sirius swirled the wand before casting the spell.

"Retexo Primo."

"Uhh…Thanks." Harry gave a gentle smile to his godfather. "Sorry Sirius, but it better this way."

"Harry?" Sirius Black wondered nervously.

"Oblivate."

"Goodnight Sirius."

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 15/12/09

Update Date: 22/09/10


	9. Ch8: It's a small world

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**_ There will be a jump of event at the end of this chapter for the timeline was not important to the transition of the story.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and Wantsome **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 8: It's a small world.**

Godric Hollow was very quiet but this was about to change. The house has been occupied by two lonely wizards for over a month, one an inmate, and other a runaway. It is hard to imagine what these two might have had in common, but there was one connection – guilt. The inmate wizard was recovering from injuries and his name was Sirius Black, the infamous Lord Black of the Wizarding World. Sirius groaned and woke up from prolonged slumber.

Sirius didn't feel like opening his eyes, for his body ached as if he had been run over by the Knight Bus. The desire to know where he was and concern for his own safety, won. The deep blue eyes tiredly adjusted to the blinding lights and it then dawned on Sirius that he had been sleeping in one of guestrooms at Godric Hollow, the Potter's safe house. The room which he had often occupied during his stays with the Potters.

The curtain was gently wafted by the summer breezes that entered through the slightly cracked open window, giving him the sense of tranquil peace that he had come to expect from this place. The room was exactly as he has remembered when he had first set his eyes on it fourteen years ago.

"It should be wreck!" Sirius Black felt the jab of a headache, he breathed slowly and cleared his mind, hoping the jumbled thoughts were gone; Sirius wondered if he should be concerned for his mental condition. Why did he expecting the place to be in ruins?

Sirius was fuzzy for a while but finally he was able to unravel enough to make sense of his situation. 'Azkaban, I was there for a long time; too long', he sighed, the pounding began again. Sirius gave up his analysing and concentrated on his surroundings once more. The smell of the clean air- a mixture of pines - and the soft bed was not a dream. He was indeed at Godric Hollow but how he got there… more questions? 'It must be memory-gap seizures.' he had experienced them during his imprisonment. Dementors were the cause no doubt, he thought as he brushed his black hair back, studying unseeingly the long ends of his uncut hair.

He should have it cut off soon; the texture and length reminded him of his bastard father. 'I'm off the tangent again. Where am I?' Oh right, he was sure he had escaped Azkaban and maybe that is why he's here at Godric Hollow. "Damn it. Why am I on bed? I should move around, the place would give me clues." Sirius angrily threw the blanket off and found that he was wearing a blue pyjama robe, a bit loose on his thin body perhaps, but it almost fit.

'This surely is something new I've done,' Sirius mused. He was positive now that someone must have helped him dress. His blue eyes immediately landed on the wizard daily robe stack on the chair beside his bed and quickly he got dressed, unquestioning why it was there. Sirius caught a glimpse of his reflection on his way out the room and was completely taken back at what the mirror showed him, his haggish appearance was not the problem, though it should have been an issue as he was not what he once was: a handsome rogue; the items of clothing were the sole reason, they had once belonged to James. There was no mistake in the style; James always liked to tailor his own clothes to certain style or flare of his own. They often joked that James was in the wrong business, instead of working as Auror he should be a designer.

Sirius felt the need to see whoever was in the house more urgently than ever.

Sirius staggered his way to the kitchen; his hunger unconsciously controlling his steps to the vicinity. Sirius halted in the passage before the corner as he was became aware of another presence in that room; even before the omelette and bacon aromas smacked his nose. Sirius palms tightened with wariness and wondered if the other person was friend or foe.

"Sirius, I am happy that you're finally awake. I was about to check on you. Come in, Sirius, what are you doing outside, I've just make breakfast." A child's voice called out, echoing inside the kitchen, obviously having heard his footsteps thus making the choice for him. The confrontation he was expecting was with his godson. 'My godson Harry?'

It's Harry! Sirius senses become hazy once more with both fear and joy, the latter won and he could not believe it, but by some miracle the voice belonged to his godson. Sirius was confident this was not a Death Eater's trick. The image of a little boy popped into his line of sight, a copy carbon of James face with Lily's green eyes smiling at him. Sirius was sure he had seen the boy before, yet the events around the boy were cloudy.

"Sirius…" The little boy voice called out again, the tone slightly injected with worry.

"Sorry, I still feel unwell. I'm coming Harry." Sirius replied quickly reassured Harry, fearing that if he did not answer his godson sooner, the boy would be more anxious over his condition. Sirius felt this was a natural reaction from him and came to conclusion that he must have amnesia. Sirius was an Auror before, he knew he was not under an Unforgivable curse. It must mean that he had somehow he found Harry either at Godric Hallow or at the Dursleys. Maybe he should have a chat with Harry, not alarming the boy of his condition of course; he was sure the boy would help him fill in the missing gaps.

Harry Potter watched as his godfather sat down, Sirius Black slumped heavily against the chair; he must be on his last legs. Sirius eyes unnervingly were constantly on Harry, made him feel even more guilty; for that same steady gaze, contained the wonders and happiness of every time they were together. It was unknown to the man that his memories had been removed many times from him these last few weeks. Sirius never had a chance to settle his new feeling; seeing his godson again, "Watching Harry Potter" phrase as Anath called it, for everything is a new experience for Black, again and again. Harry felt Anath enjoyed these moments and his discomfort.

Harry set up the meals silently, feeling much relieved that Sirius had yet to question him. Harry sat down give the man a grin before digging into the omelette, but Harry's smile did not reach his eyes. Harry bent slightly over the plate; allowed a flash of guilt to reflect upon his face. Harry did not want it to be like this. Where should he start? This was the first morning his godfather had made it out of bed without being drugged. They had agreed that Sirius Black had recovered enough yesterday, and no longer required another dose of Dreamless Sleeping potion nor being Oblivated.

Harry Potter promised that their journey would begin afresh today.

**Flashback…**

"_Oblivate. Goodnight, Sirius"_

"_I didn't think you had it in you, Harry." Anath mused at Harry's initiative, not that she had it in mind to take that particular route. A simpler method would be more effective; like killing the man for instance. She did not need another influencer on Harry. The boy was hers. Although, no matter how much she would have loved to advertise such a notion, she knew Harry would not agree and she would surely alienate him. Anath decided she'd poison against Black later. The door was shut, snapping her back to reality. Maybe she should watch her steps; the boy was unpredictable, even to her years of experience, and Harry strode off to the kitchen silently._

_Harry careful sliced the cabbage and then the carrot (almost stabbing them); and he neatly stacked them in the bowl, silently. The task was effortlessly done yet he did not try to converse with Anath. Harry knew he could not hide his thoughts from her. Harry reeked with anger. His massive temper was pinpointing her as well as himself. Harry admitted he could not blame Anath for Black's injuries. It was not Anath's fault for the whole situation was a misunderstanding. Although, the guilt remained with him as he told her to take care of Black, it was too great to be forgotten by him. _

_The story about his family and Black was not far from his mind either but at present, his own attack on Black was taking its toll. Harry knew he would forgive Black for his lack of judgement fourteen years ago but that was out of his control so it is easy to be passed over. Yet his recent activity did not speak highly of his own worth. 'Harry, a pot could not call a kettle black, could you?'_

_'Who am I? Harry Potter! Silly!' Harry laughed insanely, 'I'm a hypocrite.'_

"_Let it be," Anath sighed. 'The boy is losing the plot' she thought while she wondered she might salvage the incident. She admitted she had gone overboard with Black…Sure she would have scared any human with such violence, and would barely have considered the child's age at the time which is her first mistake; she berated herself for letting the Goau'ld nature to take over such a pitiful act. If Black was Voldemort's man, it would not have been much of a concern and she would have persuaded Harry that the man deserved what he got. _

_The outcome was unexpected, and not only in that, Harry discovered the poor man's innocence. Black was Harry's a link to his dead parents, which he had been fretting over since they lived here. In a short time Black had managed to win the boy's heart without trying. She could feel Harry's warm thoughts of his parents transfer over to Black. Harry's blind trust in him; it seemed Black had even replaced Dumbledore. _

_Anath could barely keep herself from shrieking. 'Everything is ruin because of Black' she thought. 'Harry's affection and loyalty should already be mine.' Anath stopped to analyse that unbelievable train of thought. 'Of course not, I am not jealous of Black, I'm just worried because it would be easier to control Harry if he is amendable,' she concluded. 'For a second there, I started to worry about my own motives and insanity.' Anath sighed and concentrated on Harry once more._

_Harry Potter, sombre, but once again entering a reclusive state and it was remained that way to the next day._

"_What you going to do with Black? He'll awake soon." Anath extended the olive branch, she had had the longest night ever, and kept thinking maybe it is best to leave this host but her survival chance were zero unless she was fully awaken. Finally, running out of any other option but to accept Harry Potter and help him to grow stronger; a fragile host would be the end of her. Regarding other minor points, such as Black, the man would be of help to guide the boy. She had to be patient in this game. There would always be opportunities around the corner._

"_Can we patch him first and oblivate Sirius, afterward. I'd not want his memory of meeting me to be stained with yesterday's attack. His fearful eyes, even under __**"calming drought"**__ haunted me last night." He cried softly, hand clutching Black. _

_Anath seethed scornfully inward but shows no sign of her aggravation, "No problem, lets heal him first and start everything over, OK? I think that Black being held by Dementors would help with the plan. Black would not question his memories lapses if we played with his memory a little." _

_Harry frowned at the idea, "You're not trying anything are you?"_

"_Me? I'm hurt, Harry." She'd have to be very careful with Harry Potter; sometimes the boy was too clever for his own good._

_The healing of Sirius Black has taken over two weeks, under a lot of healing charms, potions and drugs. Anath studied and planned Black's downfall secretly. While Harry had repaired the house as he had given the freedom of using magic without restriction._

**End Flashback….**

"Harry…"Sirius paused, his plate had long been empty and he was contemplating in many way how to proceed but decided that it is best get to the point, if he could not be truthful with his godson then with whom could he be? "I don't know if you have noticed but I can't remember how we met again."

Harry looked up from his plate; he had expected this. The question was not hard; it was the trust behind it that what made it difficult. Harry was prepared, though, and already has a generic response ready. Harry kept his voice neutral and spoke slowly, otherwise he would lose it, "Oh, yes. We have had this conversation before Sirius. It seems that yours memories have gaps again. However, I believe that you are getting better; I don't think you'll have the problem again. Ummm…we met here a few weeks ago. Don't worry Sirius. It'll come back to you eventually."

Sirius frowned, though his godson sincerity comforted him, "I..." whatever his doubt was, he put in on hold and shook his head. "You're right, it's better if memories are to return naturally. Though, do give me some clues on what happen so far."

"Not much Sirius, you were badly beaten,"'not the Auror off course, please don't asked me about this, but you'll think it that way,' "and for the last few weeks you have been healing. You haven't been out of bed and slept most of the time whilst I fixed Godric Hallow." Harry grinned, waving his hand around the room, Harry was very pleased with his handiwork and he hoped his happiness would seep through the monotone of the previous dialog, "what you think? Does this look like it once was Sirius?"

"Are you using magic?" Sirius eyes narrow a bit, the only conclusion he could arrived at to the state of house.

"Why yes!" Harry gives Sirius an obtuse stare, happy that the conversation was moving in another direction. Anath had helped him to stage the whole scene, "You took off my magic tracker remember?"

Sirius was surprised. He could not believe his irresponsible behaviour. Harry was still a minor. And like all magical children a tracker was placed to control and protect the child during adolescence, magic was very dangerous and unstable; however, as adult, it was another matter, the purpose of tracing was purely for Magic Ministry to monitoring their citizens. But if he did take it off, he had surely done it for a good reason and what was done was done; he must oversee the boy from any mishaps during holiday until Harry should be safe at school. Harry should be getting ready for Hogwarts soon…

"Harry what the date is today?" Sirius had a vague idea of the date, the last he had checked it was when he was outside of Azkaban. This was on Harry birthday, the 31st July. Sirius was disappointed; he would have liked to escape earlier to celebrate Harry's birthday. It seems they didn't meet until much later.

"The 9th September."

Sirius eyes widened, processing the given information, "The 9th September… Harry what you are doing here? You were supposed to start classes a week ago."

"Not going." The boy's firm answer shocked him. It was not a sulky childlike response. Harry emerald gazed fixed on Sirius as if this was the final answer and that they'd not going into this ever again. It was the mirror of Lily's stubborn eyes and Sirius knew better to argue.

"Harry, you know that you are in need of magic education right? Is it because of me?" Sirius half-heartedly countered and quickly remarked the latter as he jumped to the conclusion that Harry was here due to his injuries.

"No, Sirius. Though, I would have stayed here to take care until you were better but this isn't the reason I'm not going. I have had careful introspection on this and I have decided self studies are preferable than to be at Hogwarts. I'm sure you appreciate that I'm not going to be anybody's pawn." Harry eyes darkened at the memories. Anath smiled at this, Harry might not be a lost cause after all.

"Dumbledore!" Sirius whispered unsurprised, the old man had much to answer for; having his godson to distrust him this much and being this furious was unlike the old man. It seemed his godson had the upper hand. Sirius wondered how he was stopping the boy's dark emotion that threatened to spiral out of control and envelope the whole room.

There fell a silence, due to the uneasiness of the topic, leaving Sirius speechless, he was positive that there was a long story behind it. 'How should I begin?' Maybe he should start with what he knew and Harry would unravel the problem; if not, this was a good time to inform his godson of what had happened thirteen years ago; Sirius was the first to break the silence, "Did he tell you about the prophecy?"

"Yes he told me, but not willingly." Harry smirked but his eyes were dim with a bit of sadness, "Truth Serum."

Harry Potter was happy that Sirius willing to share the information; he knew there was a reason why he liked the man. 'He does not hide information from me, Anath.' Harry beams the happy thoughts at her.

'Really? You should keep what you know to yourself, the man is fishing for information.' She sighed, warning Harry.

Sirius raised his eyes and waited for further explanation, but the boy gave the look once again, not now maybe someday. It looked like his godson has grown up; the baby he had once held in his hand was no longer there. Sirius felt his age, wearily he searched for the innocence of youth but found none. Harry grim eyes were too adult.

Sirius regretted that he was not there to protect Harry; it looked like the child had gone through a lot. Sirius was not sure why but he trusted Harry's judgement. The boy had proved that he was an adult; after all, with magic Harry had taken care of him and fixed the house. Harry must be more advanced in his magic studies than his years. Sirius smiled, he was not sure what else he could teach the boy but Sirius was sure he have a few tricks to pass over to his godson at the very least, "Ok Harry, one step at a time right! How about me, am being your tutor?"

"You! Sirius?" Harry ran over and enthusiastic hugged and squeezed him, "Thanks." Leaving the older man breathless; maybe there was hope, Harry is still a child in his own way. Sirius vowed that he will protect Harry from that rough path which Fate seemed to have in store for his godson. It was the least he could do.

[Break]

**June 15th 1994**

The café was small but very cosy. It sat pleasantly at the outskirts of the town. There were only two other customers beside them given that this was during working hours. Anath's hand twirled the ice-coffee, she had no preference for the taste but it seemed it was favoured by her host, Harry Potter. Anath graced them with a smile, a rare sight, though it was not on her face that it showed, but rather her host's. Sirius Black presence did not bring her any immediate anger as it once had. Nearly a year together has adjusted her to tolerate the man. Anath no longer sought for his demise but that did not mean she would lift a finger to help him if Black was in danger. Actually, once in a while her thoughts did dwell there, her possessiveness of Harry Potter having increased tenfold.

Black was presently flirting with the bar maid, having forgotten that he was under his godson's watchful eyes or in this case her eyes. 'SERIOUSLY, the man is worse than a kid. It is humiliating that I, the powerful Merciful goddess, am reducing to a babysitter.'

Anath had patiently been waiting for a certain individual to walk through that door. She never told Harry why they had come here for the summer holiday. Nor had she explained the times when she deigned to make the acquaintance of a few others through various means, or take a trip to Cairo for conference and wrote to Science magazine publisher. Harry was only able to make one connection between them but it was a little consequence for there was no evidence except, "Anath, why are you befriending Americans, what so great about them?" He sulked.

'Not making friends, Harry. I'm just choosing whom I should terminate.' She thought maliciously, though it was hidden from him. The ice-cream had melted and blended with coffee, she should let Harry regaining the body to enjoy the drink; yet, the man would be walking inside the café soon according to data collected. Anath debated and in the end decided against the idea, it would be harder to take control back for the day, once it had been relinquish. Harry was still sleeping since last night.

Stargate Program had not officially commenced, based on the timeline Baal have given to her. Anath wonder what she had been doing. Anath was a living contradiction. She had not really sabotaged the program and had been half-hearted in re-directing these peoples' destinies.

In addition to her contacting them, the results were often what she least expected. Baal would say she was helping the Tau'ri instead of hindering their development. Maybe she did, Anath was yet to have a clear goal on what she really wanted. Destroying the Stargate program was Baal idealism from his journal; and would prevent Goau'ld empire's destruction. It was probably for her pride, that she, Anath, should save them. Yet none of these reasons were important.

It was probably because these reasons did not really matter to her as they had once upon a time. The fate of the Tau'ri and Goau'ld had become trivial compared to coexisting with Harry. She was starting to learn of his important to her existence; but Baal's death was certainly the only thing that she would surely prevent. Anath grimaced.

The door creaked open and a middle age man marched in but his steps were heavy and unsteady. This did not prevent the illusion that he had the bearing of a military man even in his drunken stage.

"Jack!" the barmaid moved to the man and leaving her customer, Sirius Black, fuming at the bar.

"You looked awful, Jack. You should give up those late night drinks." The barmaid scolded, "Has Sara returned home yet, dear?"

The man shook his head and sat down the table. Jonathan J. O'Neill. Even, at his worst moment in life Jack still had the aura of a Leader.

Anath met many people and she was never wrong with her intuitions, there was little doubt that this man was the one changing the Tau'ri future.

The man was dangerous.

'Now, what am I going to do, to kill or not to kill?'

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 01/03/10

Update Date: 22/09/10


	10. ch9: Interlude – The Children of Gods P1

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

_**AN:**_ I've use the combination information from Stargate wiki and (gods & goddesses) mythology as well my own assumption to generate a Goa'ulds' Empire chart. Please note all are fanfiction work and I'm not expert in mythology/ancient history so please do not flame me on this.

I've thought for a long time on how I would slot the twin history into the story but found it hard so I made Interludes of the stories -** The Children of Gods**. I think the interludes will clear up many questions that you have had about this story.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and Wantsome **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Interlude – The Children of Gods**

_**Part One - The Birth of the Miracle Twin**_

Gasure was a small town in Canaan, located near the Aranzah (Tigris) River. The town was renown in the region for its attractiveness, where every house had a small garden and was an ideal place for young couples to live. The peaceful town boasted that few guards were required for the town's safety.

The main problem with Gasure was that she was not well populated compared to her neighbouring towns. Because Gasure was situated out of the main district of Canaan, and possibly also due to the fact that Gasure had no economic or military powers behind it, no noblemen dwelled there, only peasants. However, the small town's fate was changed that night; in fact, the whole region of Canaan, for the next few millennia, was affected by the birth of a new god and goddess. Known as "the Miracle Twins", their exploits were renowned even after the Canaan civilisation was long gone.

Several months had passed since the new god Dagon and goddess Ishana decided to make Gasure, the small town, to be their new family base. Lord Dagon and Lady Ishana were well known to the locals in a short time. The Lady Ishana was loved by all for her gentle nature while her consort Lord Dagon was feared by town's folk. Gasure was enslaved and began construction of a great city, driven by their new god Dagon.

The god and goddess lived in a palace, though it was insignificant compared to their home. They had to put up with it as they were in hiding. Lord Dagon and Lady Ishana could not afford news of the coming birth of their children to reach the System Lords. The morning had passed peacefully until Lady Ishana found herself in labour.

"Cron…" Ishana screamed. In her delirious state she called out to Rhea's consort's name instead of her husband, Dagon. 'Dagon, a dearly beloved name, has become meaningless over my lips for nearly a year since we were possessed by the gods'.

'Where is the bastard? Our children are about to be born.' Ishana clutched her personal maid's hand. The goddess could not bear the childbirth pains, it was her vulnerable period.

Ishana heard footsteps running in and out the room, bringing clean water. The noises dulled her senses and had become comforting background rhythms. The goddess Rhea, mumbling about 'backward Tau'ri' brought Ishana back to reality. Ishana was not truly a goddess but Rhea was. Ishana learned much from the goddess that had lived inside her. She knew the Goa'uld was not a gods' race, but that did not changed one fact; Ishana was a Tau'ri, a weak race and she was a slave for a Goa'uld and Lady Rhea, who had been dormant in her while Ishana carried the twins.

The baby's healthy cry sprang out and distracted Ishana from her pains, "It's a boy, OUR NEW GOD, my Lady." the maid exclaimed and passed the new born to her.

Ishana tearfully whispered, "Baal!" she knew her first born will be a boy, Rhea had told her. 'My son, his name is Baal. It was worth it.'

Ishana begged Rhea to keep the children when she was taken as host. Rhea was reluctant but then Rhea had recently lost her own children. Ishana latched onto that notion, saying the children belonged to Rhea since she possessed Ishana body. Rhea finally agreed to the human's insistence, not out of kindness but also because of her own agenda.

Rhea had cleverly persuaded her consort of the idea of human child birth experiment. Rhea's consort was not a scientist but knew technologies were a way for him to become greater. Rhea's consort quickly accept the idea; after all he loved experimenting on all species, especially his own. Rhea informed him of the pregnancy at a later date without being suspicious and when she was no longer able to slow down the development of the babies without harming them.

Ishana felt Rhea's presence stirring inside recklessly, ready to be awakening; she knew that once the other twin, Anath broke out from the womb, Rhea would once again take control of the body. Ishana shrieked the unfairness of life, 'How I long to hold my children and watch them grow up'. This was not the case, she would never have such luxury but at least they lived, 'What else can a mother ask for!' Ishana comforted herself.

"Dagon, where are you?" she cried out her husband's name, their names were restored to them when they arrived here. Ishana was able to request to deliver her children close to their old home town. She had particular chosen Gasure because it was the place they had been planning to settle before they were taken as hosts.

"My Lady, his Lordship is coming. Please bear the pains and concentrate on pushing my Lady, the other twin is coming." The maid tried sooth her agonies.

'Dagon, we were both chosen to be god and goddess, but our lives would have been much better if we had not been capture on that day, on our honeymoon near Olympia.' Ishana regretted and knew it would be over soon. She finally lost consciousness when her daughter, Anath, took her first breath.

Rhea opened her eyes and stared at the infants placed on her hands. They were very tiny and easily crushed within her palms. The twins were her children. They were not her flesh and blood but she had been with them as they grew inside the slave body. Her thoughts were mingled with theirs, teaching them. "The Miracle Twins," the first children of Goa'uld in another form.

Rhea would not have entertained the idea if the children had not already existed when she took her host, nor if she hadn't been forced into the situation by her consort, unable to have children of her own. It would be too taboo being motherly to another life form. Goa'uld were superior and the Tau'ri were their slaves. 'How could these children be seen as her equals?'

'But they are powerful.' A voice whispered. Rhea learned the twins were very dangerous when she mingled with them. They had absorbed her consort and her own knowledge while they grew inside the slave womb. Rhea found a side effect of these children had, she could not control the genetic memories input into these children like those she had sired. Rhea knew the danger of letting them be born but she couldn't warn her consort, if he knew about the children capabilities; they would surely die instantly.

Rhea wants these children, after all the suffering she had gone through, 'seven months of dormancy' she would make sure they lived. However, she needed to make them as her 'own'. They were Goa'uld children but not Goa'uld, her consort had named these children as Harascis.

Rhea was worried about them, their body structure like the Tau'ri, would eventually die; human bodies were fragile even if they had inherited Goa'uld abilities and advancement due to their genetic combination of Goa'uld and human. However, the thought that they were powerful enlivened her heart; she couldn't wait for the future, when her children ruled.

'Yes, they will need to be host to a Goa'uld and at the same time it must be my offspring.' Rhea knew her consort would not agree to this; after all he had been eradicating all their children who possessed the DNA code of both parents' genetics.

Rhea's Consort is a very fearful man, he was afraid his children would rise up against him. He only allowed Rhea to give birth to those offspring who would possess little of their genetic makeup and the genetic memory which passed directly from them to their children. This was not a problem, since Rhea was a Queen and as mother she was able to exercise the control over the biochemistry of her progeny.

Although Rhea was fully aware of her consort fears, over the millennia she often gave birth of these particular children and hidden them. But her consort always found them, Kouretes was last one of the seven that he had taken from her. 'And I promised no more. How I hated him for that.'

It all started as Gaea foretold him, when she was evicted, "Your son, one day will taken your throne as you did with your own." The word triggered fear in him and he knew he would have no children; least of all allow his offspring to have the potential to be as strong as or stronger than him.

Rhea was angry but complied with his wish; she could not fight him during her labour. He was always there to ensure that none of their offspring contained both of their DNA coding. However, Rhea did not feel the same; if their children inherit both of their DNA; it was to ensure a strong legacy for the future generation and Rhea would become known as the Mother of all Gods one day. Rhea longed to create a special child, one that would become the strongest in Goa'uld history and above all, the child would acquire the throne from RA in the future.

Rhea ambition was to have her bloodline enthroned.

Rhea's Consort was too weak beside RA but he was still one of strongest among the Goa'uld, that why she had chosen him and besides, he was her beloved brother.

Rhea held the boy, **Baal**, the baby gently in her arms; she had another name for the child but he would not take it until he came of age. Anath, a daughter, is of no use to her. Rhea had no thought for the girl future. 'Anath is a backup just in case Baal goes wrong'. She liked that idea very much. Rhea had many plans to carry out; however, first she needed to regress the children memories for their own survival.

Rhea had an idea on how to make her dream come true, a compromise with her consort or rather backstabbing him without his realising it. The children will have symbiotes implanted that contain both of their entire DNA coding as she always desired; but the symbiotes will be in "blank" stage with no genetic memories.

Her consort would surely agree to this suggestion. He would have no idea that the children already have their genetic memories, all of them. It no longer mattered what he had instructed her to pass on to the symbiote, though she would have not given them everything, all the generic memories, if they themselves hadn't absorbing them during the pregnancy. 'What's done is done!' although, the very thought scared her.

Rhea smiled and shook the troubling thought away, 'It matters not. I'll have my own children one way or another.'

"Ah, Rhea my beloved, it good to have you back. Ishana is too Tau'ri for my taste."

Her consort wrapped Rhea into his arm.

Rhea snorted but gives him a kiss, "It good to see you, my Lord. How has this measly town been doing during my dormancy?"

"I've build the city to fit for my Queen, Rhea. However, since we introduced ourselves as Lord Dagon and Lady Ishana. It shall remain so here."

"That's great news, my Lord; however, Gasure is not becoming as holy city's name. It'll not do for our new born son and daughter."

"You're right, my Lady. How about Nuzi? It is a good dialect name." Dagon had been thoughtfully on the name for a while and it seemed fitting, 'its meaning TO CROSS OVER; a hidden message of the birth between a Goa'uld and Taui'ri'.

"Nuzi!" Rhea exclaimed in a commanding voice; she liked the ring of it, though she was fully aware of her husband's twisted humour.

Without Gasure's populace knowing it, a new city was born and grown to be one most powerful in the region for the next few millennia.

A city, where all the trading roads were crossed over, later it was replaced by Rome.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 04/06/10

Update Date: 22/09/10


	11. ch10: DéjàVu

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and Wantsome **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 10: Déjà-Vu**

The wind was mild, and brushed against her chestnut hair as Sara stood there mindlessly, her hand trembling. Sara hesitated for a second at the insane command that was echoing in her mind but she had no will to overcome the impulse control. She pulled the trigger, though it felt so wrong.

Sara instantly collapsed as the gun fired.

Anath watched the airborne bullet, through her inhuman eyes. They captured the slow-motion of the bullet heading toward the target. The trajectory pinpointed the heart, right to where the blood vessel pumped, exactly as she had instructed. 'An instant death, not even a symbiote would able to heal such wound.'

The event would certainly come to pass in another second or so. Anath had no doubt of the outcome and decided it was time to leave.

BANG.

Anath stopped, 'That sound is not right.' And immediately swung around to inspect what could have gone wrong.

**Flashback...**

_Anath quietly observed O'Neill settling down, not far off from her table. Suddenly, her viewed was obstructed by a male body. Anath, irritated, looked up; it was Sirius. He had returned after being unsuccessful in wooing the barmaid._

_"Hn" She grunted. 'The clown has returned.'_

_"Sorry, Harry. I was ordering my coffee." A slight blush appeared on his face under her scrutiny. Anath shrugged it off, Sirius was an irritating fly. It was a waste of time to dwell on him for she had a much a bigger fish to fry. Anath's attention returned back to O'Neill._

_'Now that I'm here, I still haven't yet thought of a plan on how to approach him.' Anath sighed, 'Maybe... better not go down that track again; nothing good will come from getting to know him better, not an approachable type, either. Hm… maybe this is the reason I was unable to terminate any of the SG1 members... I found them too interesting to kill. But, first I need to put a tracking device on him.' Anath reached into her pocket and pulled out a small microchip; a tracking device which she had created with the scarce raw materials available, 'Terra is still is a dark-age planet.'_

_'Ah, here comes an opportunity.' Anath stood up as the barmaid was passing them. "Excuse me, Sirius...the rest room." She dashed off, leaving Harry's guardian behind. Anath paced herself to the exact moment and crashed into the barmaid. Anath expected the momentum to carry her and smack right on O'Neill's arm where she could implant the chip. However, an arm reached out and caught her; and to Anath's surprised, Harry's small was body pulled up by none other than O'Neill._

_"Hey kid, are you OK?"_

_Anath was amazed to see a sober O'Neill, 'He was ill rotten a moment ago. My perception was right, this man indeed is dangerous. And surprisingly his reflexes for a human are very good.' _

_Jack stared at the boy and worried; he felt something odd and was not right about the vivid emerald eyes. 'That watchful gaze is not something that a child should have.' Jack tried to shake off a horrible feeling, 'I'm must still be intoxicated, need a cup to clear my head, the coffee...' and then Jack remembered of the mess around him._

_"Caro, are you OK? Any hot coffee poured on you." Jack stood up and prepared to help her._

_"No, I'm alright Jack. Sit down will you; I will bring another cup over but first I got to clean this up. It's good that you caught the boy. I thought he would have hit the bench otherwise."_

_'Not likely.' Anath amused, 'Ah, the chip.' Anath grasped O'Neill arm as if catching for his attention and planted the chip at the same time. "I'm OK, could you please let go?" Anath asked testily._

_"Sure."_

_"Thanks. Sorry about the mess, madam." Anath nodded quickly to the barmaid and raced off to the restroom so that it was not looks too suspicious._

_"Ah." Both adults exclaimed and smiled, watching the boy disappeared into the WC._

_Sirius and Harry set off late in the morning as scheduled. Harry held the map on his laps and instructed Sirius where to go. "Harry why are we still in suburban area of Colorado Springs?" Sirius glanced sideways at his godson._

_"Hn" the boy replied._

_"OK, it is not that I don't like the views; the houses around here look rather nice and homely but I thought we were going to arrive at the campsite later this evening." Sirius reminded his godson but the boy continued to pay him no heed._

_Sirius observed that Harry had been pensive this morning. However, Sirius was used to his godson being passive like this once __in__ a while. He often found __that __Harry was very dangerous during these times and, for the peace of his well being, he knew from past experience that he'd better continue driving._

_"Stop!" His godson's abrupt command shocked Sirius and instantly he slammed on the brake. The car skidded off-kilter before grinding to a halt._

_"What? Did we hit something?" Sirius paled, he was still learning to be a Muggle driver and it was not helping that they drove at the wrong side of the street too._

_"No, but get out the car…" the boy yelled. When Sirius did not comply he banged the door open, "NOW!"_

_Sirius got out and saw that his godson had distanced himself from the car. Sirius's intuition said to follow Harry. When Sirius reached his godson, an explosion cracked behind him, and Sirius turned to find the car ablaze._

_"Muggle's contraption…" Sirius felt his stomach churning; they could have been trapped in there. "Thanks, Harry." This was not the first time his godson had amazingly known when they were in danger; Sirius was almost convinced that Harry had Seer ability in him. 'Maybe, I should take him to someone who could help.'_

_Sirius thoughts were interrupted when a Four-Wheel-Drive on the road pulled over and stopped near them. 'Someone has comes to help', and he felt relieved wash over him. Sirius immediately recognised the other man; 'John or Jack' from the café._

_"I saw it blastoff. Glad that you got out in time." Jack O'Neill paused when he recognised the kid, "We have met at the café earlier. I'm Jack O'Neill…can I be of some assistance?"_

_"Yeah, thanks. Sorry, but I am at lost what to do. My name is Sirius Black and this is my godson Harry Potter. We are on holiday from England. And the car was hire." Sirius pointed the car and sighed._

_"First, it's better if you call the company up and explain. They'll get someone out here to check." Jack suggested to the bewildered Sirius who had not lifted his eyes off the piece of junk. Sirius contemplated what to do; one thing he knew with certainty was that he could not use magic in a foreign country without consequences. It was not the legality that concerned him, but rather that he did not want any involvement with the American Federation of Wizards._

_"Could you make the call? We do not have a mobile on us." The boy, Harry Potter, handed him the car company contact card. Jack was astonished that these people had not brought one with them, especially when they were on the road outside of their country and comfort zone too._

_"Sure." He once again felt a cold shiver run up his spine at the boy's steady gaze. 'Why do I feel as if I walk down a dangerous lane when I look at him?' Jack quickly made the called and sorted out the problem at best he could._

_"They will be out here by this afternoon to check the car out so you can leave it there. However, they don't have any available car at present and the earliest they can send one is tomorrow morning."_

_"Hm…Just great!" Sirius mumbled. Jack sensed Black's distress and thought it was best to direct the man to their more urgent matter. That of accommodation for tonight._

_"Where are you staying? I could drop you off there."_

_"We are on our way to the next stop; Colorado Springs Camp, it is a bit out of the way. Don't worry, we'll be alright. Thanks Jack." Sirius looked down at his godson and waited for Harry's comment. However, the boy had remained silent._

_Jack O'Neill walked away, he felt a bit bad; the situation could have been him and Charles. The boy reminds him of his son, Charles. Well, if he were to overlook the cold ruthless eyes. Jack felt that he'd regret the decision later, but turned around to the stranded strangers._

_"Look…you need a place to stay overnight. And there's no point in wandering around a strange town. What do you think about crashing at my place for the night? It's just down the road anyway." Jack offered to the two perfect strangers and started to wonder if he was insane. Yet it seems like Fate had set the whole thing up._

_"Thanks, but we don't want to be trouble to you." Sirius declined. However, Harry also replied at the same time._

_"Thanks, Mr. O'Neill. We'll accept your generosity."_

_"Harry!...I guess we'll be troubling you. Thanks for yours hospitality." Sirius sighed; he knew better not to dispute his godson._

_"It's OK. It's strange, almost like Fate at work." Jack smiled at the boy, Harry Potter sure was like Charles. He felt his heart tighten. It might not have been a good idea to have them with him when he was still grieving for his son. But, Charles was gone. Jack thought he had missed Charles before but the sorrow he felt was nothing compared to the moment he saw another, similar boy alive before him, and Jack knew what he truly had lost._

_'Fate; Indeed.' Anath mused, as she walked toward O'Neill's Four-Wheel-Drive with Sirius in tow. She was the one that had made sure everything went according to plan._

_Anath had always preferred the night. It was when she got things done and no one disturbed her. It was proving true in Harry Potter's case as well, the body was for her to control. Anath had wandered out, through the window to inspect the surrounding area. Anath could see everything around her very clearly as if it were daytime. There were few animals active at night around O'Neill's house, like a little grasshopper beneath her foot; her lightly step wouldn't kill the little insect._

_Anath walked around the garden. It was well kept but hardly any flowers beds could be found there. Anath had let Harry Potter deal with the aftermath as O'Neill picked them up on the road. Harry was very good; lately he had not questioned her motive like he used to, and was very accommodating to her wishes. 'Should I be worried? Perhaps he knows nothing will come of it even if he did go against me.' _

_Anath watched the sky forlornly, facing towards her homeland. Even with her incredible eyesight she was unable to glimpse the particular cluster of stars she had come to perceive as home. 'How strange that I'd found comfort in this sentiment.' Anath had, over time, identified many emotions from her host, and with them she had developed feelings that had regressed as a Goa'uld. 'In a way that it almost makes me feel like I am a human being.' Anath was amused at the thought. These emotions were no longer seen to hold a dire consequence, 'a weakness', but were rather considered as a learning process._

_It was passed three o'clock, earth time that Anath decided to return back to her room. However, instead of returning to bed and rest, Anath opened the door and headed to the living room. She knew immediately O'Neill was asleep there. The light snores at the sofa confirmed her deduction. Anath strolled about the room unheard and finally arrived at a box that was locked. It had drawn her since the afternoon when O'Neill stayed away from that area, yet he had often glanced over and dazed off._

_Anath flicked it open with magic, 'A gun.' It was not what she expected._

_Anath took it out and examined it oddly. 'This is something O'Neill considered important? It's such an ordinary gun.' Suddenly, Anath eyes glinted with ruthlessness, 'this is as good a weapon as any to kill.'_

_Anath spun around and she waved the gun in her palm; appearing as though she was playing with it, if onlooker happened to be at presence and indeed there was one. Jack O'Neill was awakening from his sleep, his sixth sense screaming of danger. He never thought he would see it happened again, a gun and a child together._

_"Harry! Put that down." Jack shouted._

_Anath had not expected O'Neill to awake so soon and she accidentally set it off suddenly. Anath saw the bullet fly straight to O'Neill's upper right arm, 'crap, he would certainly not die from that' she felt thwarted after the delightful thought of him being dead. In addition, the situation became worsen by the end of night. Remarkably O'Neill had moved out of the firing range, unharmed, before the bullet passed him and struck the chair._

_Jack O'Neill marched up and seized the gun from her hand, "Are you OK?" Jack wrapped the boy in his arms and silently sobbed. Anath stiffly stayed there and felt a bit put off and at lost how to deal with the man. 'Jack O'Neill really is a piece of work. He did not behave as I had predicted, somehow the man was reminiscent of a certain boy I know.'_

_Anath knew she was in no danger with O'Neill since he had no idea that there was a monster living in the little boy called Harry Potter. Anath decided the night had gone on long enough and released her hold of the body so that it could have some rest. Harry Potter's quiet snores woke O'Neill from his nightmare._

_Jack O'Neill was thankful the child was tired and fell asleep. He was not sure how he would have handled the situation otherwise. 'Would I scold him if I didn't go into a fit? It was like Charles all over again. If I didn't yell at him at that time and explained properly to Charles about the danger of weapons, would he still be here at the moment?'_

_Jack carried the child to the sofa and returned to study the gun. 'I should have gotten rid of this when I buried Charles, nothing good ever came out it.' He looked at the box and speculated how it had opened; 'I must have done it while I was drunk yesterday. I should have checked it with a kid staying over.' Jack reproached himself._

_"Well, it is time to said goodbye." Jack O'Neill picked the box, with the gun placed inside and strode to his backyard purposefully._

_Anath left Sirius behind at the camp; she knew the man would go berserk in search of Harry on the mountains. 'He probably has a search party with him by now.' She could not stop laughing silly at the prospect. Anath abruptly hushed and glared at the other woman._

_"Keep driving, we almost there, Sara." The other woman, Sara, nodded and once again concentrated on the road._

_"It's a good thing that I had cast Imperius on you, I didn't think that was so easy... It was pitiful really, a simpleton without even trying to struggle against my command at all. You really are a weak minded fool." Anath spatted._

_'You know that she would have been if she was not __grieving__ for her son.' Anath snorted at the thought. It sounded like something nonsensical Harry would chip in at moments like these…Sara was a doll and would remain so until she would take that shot. 'I have done her __a__ favour, have I not? She'll be at peace with herself and the world after she completes her mission. There will be no sorrow or pain.' Anath burst into laughter once again, filling the car with her insanity._

_They arrived at the destination without mishap; it had been seventeen hours since Anath left Sirius at the cabin and nine hours had gone after she met Sara at her friend's house. Anath felt her control of the body slipping; the overdue tiredness started to wear on her. 'It will soon be over.'_

**End Flashback**…..

The small hole in the wall was the first thing imprinted on her mind when Anath returned to scene. 'How the heck did Sara miss the mark or my sense either?'

Anath immediately registered that everything around them was frozen in time; it was like a glasshouse. There is only one explanation...Harry Potter. The boy physically appeared before she even spoken his name.

"I'm here Anath."

"I could see that, where is this place?" Anath eyes darkened, glared at the form; a duplicate of his form which she took.

"Our consciousness, somewhere we have created within us."

"How long and why haven't I notice it?" Anath felt calm again, she was still in control of herself wherever this place is.

"You did Anath, but you choose not to remember it whenever you left here."

Anath shrugged, 'Interesting. It rings true.'

"It is the truth." Harry replied sincerely,

"My thoughts are projected…"

"A place created where we can be truthful with each other Anath. It'll not hide your thoughts from me nor mine from you."

"It magic isn't it!" she sighed and stated it as it was. "I think I had often been here to chat with you." Harry nodded in agreement, "that was why you haven't bothered me with your inane questions." Anath laughed at how thoughtless she was that she had allowed such thing to slip her mind.

"However, would you care to explain to me about that?" Anath pointed at the space outside their bubble, where Jack O'Neill stood frozen in time.

"I spoke a couple of spells before you walked away." Harry shoved his hands through his hair like a misbehaved boy and blushed with discomfiture under Anath narrowed eyes.

"Should I be congratulating you for a job well done or punishing you for your interference with my scheme, Harry Potter?"

"I'm not sure; I think you should grateful for my intervention." Harry cheekily replied.

'I knew that innocence would not last.' Anath chuckled. "Well?"

"What do you see in O'Neill?" Harry answered the question with another question.

"He's a potential enemy!"

"I knew that."

"Really!" Anath mocked him, 'hasn't it been obvious since I tried to kill the man.'

"Well, you did try to kill Sirius and he is not a potential enemy."

"Hn…"

"OK, Oh well, I did try but was never able to get the straight answer in regard to Sirius either."

Anath glared at Harry, she learned fast about this place. She instantly refused to answer that. It may voice her thoughts that she spoke aloud but not what she kept beneath the surface.

"I don't want him killed."

"Black or O'Neill?"

"Both, I really like them Anath. Sirius is like an older brother. He is not mature enough for me to see him as a father role. Jack on other hand is, and the last few days we spent with them, haven't you felt the connection between us. I felt like his son."

"What connection? This does not concern me." Anath scowled at the idea.

"You knew what I'm talking about; you must realise that whatever I felt, you felt."

"I see you have very wild imagination Harry. Shouldn't it be the other way around, Tau'ri!"

"Don't Tau'ri me; I don't understand Goa'uld language. YES! We both felt what other was feeling but only the deepest emotion affect both of us. Your hate for them was not as strong as my love for them. Therefore, I knew you'd feel at least a little of what I had." Harry angrily shouted; he really wanted Anath to accept them. She had denied his existence within her being but no more.

"YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOURSELF HUMAN." Anath equally furious, the boy had gone far enough. It was a line she would not allow him to cross. She was far superior to a little Tau'ri boy.

Suddenly a crack started to form in the bubble around them, and then it become bigger as glass shattered and fell over them.

"NO, Anath. Please do not reject me." Harry Potter lunged and wrapped his arms around her.

Anath was shocked and the crumbling place froze again. "You'll die if you rejected me, Anath. This place is where our beings met. Please do not do it again." Harry cried, holding her tightly.

Anath paled at his words, 'you really knew how to decide our fate huh?'

"No, we made this place. We're both deciding our Fate. In here we are equal as we should be; I have learned loving you as you're me. Could you not as well?" Harry

"Time will tell, Harry Potter. Though, I promise I'll not kill him today. It is time to leave." The bubble immediately repaired itself as she completed her sentence.

"You'll not regret this decision, Anath." Harry Potter assured her; however, she only thought otherwise as the frozen time began to move forward again.

'It is time to face the music.' Harry chuckled at Anath's thought as they walked hand in hand to the real time; they were intertwined and had become one.

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 04/06/10

Update Date: 22/09/10


	12. ch11:Interlude – The Children of Gods P2

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

**AN: **I have attempted to write about Egeria history (the beginning of Tok'ra fraction) and a brief history how Anath climbs to the top, though was depict a bit naïve due to her age.

I would like to** super thanks, Riddle Master 101 **for reedited the chapter** and Wantsome **who is previously beta-ed the chapter**.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports.**

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Interlude – The Children of Gods**

_**Part Two - The Way to Greatness**_

_(±3200BC)_

The sky was vast, it stretched endlessly and the furthest her eyesight could see was only smallest fraction of its size. As if it was teasing her, 'I'm out of your reach'. Anath's hand automatically answered the challenge and tried to touch it, 'sillything to do of course,' for she had already knew it was impossible but her body reacted to it longingly. She felt this is what the barbaric Tau'ri called 'daydreaming'_, _'An absurd notion,' Anath scolded her foolishness.

Anath was not of an ignorant primitive species like the Tau'ri, she knew the truth. Anath had studied the stars and worlds that lay beyond Terra. However, no matter how much she had studied, it very hard to visualize the universe if she was not able to experience it with her own eyes. The deep space had called to her and it had sung a mysterious song long before she began to walk. However, Anath was not allowed to travel to space. She was in hiding from her parents' enemies. That was what she had been told, anyway.

Canaan had become her playground, and of course the land did not belong entirely to her, for half of it was shared with Lord Baal, her twin. Anath's parents, Lord Dagon and Lady Ishana were rarely seen in Canaan. Though Lady Ishana frequently would visit them and always make sure celebrated their birthdays. Nevertheless, the lady was always favouring her twin's company. And thus, Anath grew up very lonely and her heart become colder as the seasons passed.

Canaan was considered to be a large country on Terra, but only a small piece of land belonged to the Goa'uld compared to the many worlds under their domain. This did not mean that the lands were less important. The land, despite its small size, was valuable for its abundance of slaves. The slaves were there for worshiping them, and performed one key function to the Goa'uld Empire; that of a host. The Tau'ri were the newest slaves they had acquired for the Empire and the most advantaged host they had found in the galaxy. The human structures were easiest to heal and were most compatible with them.

Terra was part of Ra's domain, thus the Tau'ri was considered to belong to him but Ra was willing to share the land and opened a slave market with other Goa'ulds, (and in return for naquadah shares in every domain, as well had the honour of ruling as Supreme Overlord of the System Lords). Ra had divided the Terra land into five sectors. The cultivation of the Tau'ri in these sectors was dependent on the Goa'uld regime that ruled over it. However, the Middle East of Terra had not united under one leadership.

Canaan was part of the Middle East of Terra. Anath and Baal had complete control of the land under their thumb but the place had becomes tiresome recently and Anath grew reckless. Anath would have liked spread her wings further, perhaps conquering the Great Egypt but that land was where their enemies' strong hold lay. The topside mass was Greece and beyond was what belonged to her parents. And to the east was recently controlled by Yu, not mention that piece of land was divided up in even smaller section by other minor Goa'ulds and that would be very bothersome to wage war against them.

"Anath, what are you doing out here in the middle of night." Baal appeared before her. He used the ring transporter. It was noisy and artless she thought.

"I felt suffocated in Nuzi. Those slaves would not leave me alone, Baal."

Baal raises his eyebrows; he voice was mild, "Is that your excuse for my First General Govad laying dead in the Council of War Chamber?"

"Oh... Govad? He was irritating me." Anath strode away and lifted herself onto her black stallion. She liked the sands beneath her feet and rarely used the transportation ring unless it was an emergency. She was currently studying the technologies (a poor copy of the Ancient gate). Anath was sure she'd able to come up with something better if she found the time.

Baal frowned, "What about the Babylonian? How am I going to punish them for their insolence against me?"

"Those barbarians, Baal?" she mocked. "I'll wipe them out in three days if they will not bow and worship you." Anath shrugged lightly and held the reign tighter. The stallion turns its head toward her as if it understood the command and was ready to gallop away. "I'll see you in Babylon." Anath added as an afterthought and leaving a trail dust to blow beneath the hoops as she's sped out of view.

Anath did not turn back; if she had she would have seen the appalling smirk on the face of Baal. Baal's sapphire eyes glinted, 'Oh my dear Anath, you are playing right into my hands.'

That year, 3200BC, Anath the Merciful, at the age of thirteen summers, single-handedly conquered Babylon.

History recorded an excerpt from Ras-Shamra, *" Anath appears as a wild and furious warrior in a battle, wading knee-deep in blood, striking off heads, cutting off hands, binding the heads to her torso and the hands in her sash, driving out the old men and townsfolk with her arrows."

*Passage taken from Wiki.

[Break]

_**3197BC**_

Olympia was where many gods and goddesses resided, currently under the ruling of Lord Cronus. The Court was vibrant, readily welcoming the special guests who came for the Alliance Feast which was open once every hundred years, and on this occasion, the feast was held in Olympia. The meeting was also known as the Assembly of System Lords.

Anath may not have held a seat in Olympia but she was enthroned as the Queen of gods in Canaan. However, on this occasion she was invited to Olympia, not as a daughter but as Anath the Merciful. Anath was bitter, for their parents had yet to recognise Baal and her, and thus their linage had been denied. Anath had refused the invitation but was found out later that her brother, Lord Baal, had sent an envoy and accepted it on her behalf.

Anath was forced to come, but that did not mean that she would dress up like peacock to please others. This attitude caused Nina, the high priestess of Anath, a lot of suffering.

"Hold still, my Lady." Nina, the priestess, sighed. It was hard serving the Lady Anath. Nina was able to scold her privately, a privilege of being the one that had taken care of the Lady since birth. Anath had a soft spot for the old woman.

"Nina leaved my hair alone. I don't care about my Father's Court, much less seeing our enemies walking in the hall as if they are our best friends. Am I not a powerful goddess? Why must I be hidden? I hate hypocrites the most." Anath pulled the flower hairpin out and thwacked it on the table, surprisingly didn't break under such force.

"My Lady, it has taken me half an hour to put that at a perfect place on your hair." Nina cried and picked the beautiful hairpin up. She observed the handcraft was perfectly made; no human would able to craft this. It was solid gold, depicted tiny picture of inscription that she couldn't read. The gemstones added on the inscription, it glittered and was formed as many flowers.

"It's a gift from Lord Baal, won't you wear it." Nina thought of another tactic, hopefully her Lady would take the bait.

"I've no used for that thing…give it back to him." Anath fumed and strode out the room leaving poor Nina devastated behind and the old priestess collapsed on the ground; she should expect it. Nonetheless, it had pained her; she feared her Lady would have a hard time at the party, 'Poor child. Lady Rhea should have brought the girl up.'

Anath stiffened as she walking through the hall, whispers echoing wherever she went; she could hear everything with her super hearing range. Anath clutched her palms tighter. '_It is humiliating_, t_he nerve of those rats. _How dare them! Criticise their betters and such as they, the lowly minor gods at my father court!'

One word that was most repeated, "Uncouth."

Anath itched to snap those necks in half. She was too angry and did not see where she was going and crashed into someone around a corner.

"Are you alright child?" a clear tone voice greeted her, Anath looked up and found she was gazed upon by a very beautiful woman. It was hard to imagine but the lady was far lovelier even than her mother, Lady Rhea.

However, the lady's beauty had not distracted Anath from sensing the powerful presence of this person, this aurora overwhelmed and froze her in place. Anath then noticed the standby Goa'ulds were bowing before the Lady.

"I'm fine, my Lady." Anath stood tall make sure that her posture was not being out done by anyone.

"I've just arrived, would you like showing me around, child?"

"I…sorry, my Lady but I'm a guest as well."

"Ah! Then you must be the renown, Anath Rohmaya, The Merciful."

Anath stiffed nodded, "I am she!"

"Your exploits have been encircled by the Systems Lords' gossips. My consort, Lord Ra, has noted of your achievements. He had intended with this assembly to extend his domain to you and your brother. I am very happy to be first to welcome you, dear child; a newcomer to our rank, the System Lords."

"I'm a System Lord? Surely you must jest, my Lady; I've no off worlds except a small land of Canaan." Anath shocked.

"I sense greatness in you, my dear. Would you like me to be your patron?"

Anath didn't have a chance to accept or deny the hand offered. She knew she should not trust any Goa'uld. However, the great Lady took her hand and led her away from the crowds.

"I believed I have yet to introduce myself. I'm Lady Egeria, The Queen of all gods."

Anath stepped backward, horrified that her enemy was stood before her.

"I didn't think my reputation was that bad?" She laughed clearly at the child's discomfort and Anath immediately was soothed by the gesture.

"No, forgive me; I heard great things about you, my Lady. I wasn't expecting to be in such a great presence as yours." She lied; her eyes twisted at the words and it seemed only amused the Lady further.

"That was not you, child. Do not force yourself on my behalf. It was true that we Goa'uld do not trust others so easily but you had won my gratitude. You killed **An** during the raid of Babylon right? I never had the chance to thank you, dear."

"I am. I take it that he was your enemy."

"It pains me greatly that I could not take revenge personally while he was alive because of the treaty with my consort. Lord Ra had redeemed that An didn't kill my son, Melqart, the only heir to our late Lord Apep."

"I'm sorry to hear your loss, my Lady." Anath was shocked. She reads in the book of record that Melqart was dead during his infancy because he was not strong enough to take an Una host. It seems she should revaluate all the things she had studied and question it thoroughly.

"I am thankful for your welcome and please excuse my humble presence." Anath decided whether the Lady had spoken the truth or not, and feeling indebted to her did not change the fact that the Lady was a powerful enemy that she would be forced to face in the future.

Anath was not Baal. She did not play games with others, something along the line of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Anath always had drawn the line between friends and enemies. Anath felt no remorse when she killed her enemies, it easy and fun. Her thoughts were interrupted.

"I'm sure you are from a strong linage, but if no one has claimed you then I will, child."

"I'm honoured but..."

"It is decided, I'll inform Lord Ra." Lady Egeria ignored Anath's protesting and left the garden path back to her court attendants, waiting patiently while they conversed among themselves.

It was scripted in Goa'uld history, the meeting with Lady Egeria had Anath exalted to the highest position in the System Lords ranks. She was beloved by many except her biological father, Lord Cronus. Anath became the heir apparent to Lady Egeria's domain and legally proclaim adopted by Lady Egeria and Lord Ra.

[Break]

_**3101BC**_

Anath's presence had shaped Goa'uld Empire and she was the key player at the time. Anath's directness had gained many allies but the characteristic was her downfall for she had also accumulated equally powerful enemies. Nonetheless, she was admired and even her greatest enemies would grudgingly admit that no one in Goa'uld history was equal to her prowess in the battlefield. Anath was officially a war-goddess, the first entitle of the Empire for she had never lost a battle once and against all odds she had always triumphed; the battlefield was her home and the Jaffa under every jurisdiction and domain feared and worshiped her.

Anath fought many battles, using her skills as a mercenary to gain territories. She split the lands with Baal as he was the negotiator. Anath usually was compensated by half of whatever she gained. The System Lords had no choice but to agree to the high prices, they were afraid that their enemy would gain her alliance otherwise. Although, Lady Egeria's domain was appointed to Anath as heir apparent, she had no wish to claim it and decide the earn hers. Anath found the Lady was rather odd, but humoured her eccentricities whenever they met.

Anath had allied with Egeria and, through the lady, she was strongly associated with Ra. Anath found the enemies that she had been taught to fear by her parents was rather one sided. Ra had not known of their existence. In fact, Lord Cronus was a well known tyrant. Lord Cronus had swallowed all his children according to many sources. Lord Ra and Lady Egeria thus became more preferable company than her biological parents.

"My Lady, Lord Ra has sent a message." Anath waved her hand and allowed the girl to continue, "He requested your presence by tomorrow."

Anath took her helmet off and kicked it away with her foot. Her hand was soaked with fresh blood. Anath walked to the basin and watched as the blood drained away with water. The sight made her feel alive because it was not her blood. The girl, called Nina II, the great grandniece of her first priestess and currently held the position as Anath's personal attendant, stood stiffly far off in the chamber after relaying the message. Anath smirked, knowing why; that the girl often fainted at the sight of blood was amusing but it got annoying at times. She should dismiss Nina II but she did promise to take the girl in her care when Nina was killed.

"Give my command to the bridge control, have the Ha'teks return to Ughar, Nina."

'I really do not need another tiresome talk about alliances. Ra is getting on my nerves every day. Who appointed him as my Father anyway?'

It took Anath the next day to arrive at the Terra gate. Ra's chief priest was there to greet her, and he led Anath to the palace. Ra had hidden the gate address for Terra; anyone who passed through the gate was required to be lead by his personal priest. Anath had only stepped through the gate a few times since she left Terra.

"Daughter, welcome home." Ra cheerfully pecked her cheek. It was a privilege that he rarely bestowed on anyone except his favourite.

Anath stiffened; she did not enjoy anyone stepping into her personal space, whether it was the king of the gods or a slave. Anath counted to three, before she could breathe again. She watched as Ra lazy strode ahead as if he knew she was riled. Anath did not relax nor let her guard down. 'Anyone who does is a fool,' many who first saw him, would mistake Ra as a foolish fragile youngster but he was anything but one. Ra was very dangerous, his knife would slitted your throat when you least expected it. Ra was also a perverted Goa'uld; he loved all beautiful things. Anath had found out the truth of the rumour the hard way when she had walked into one of them and she swore to remain virgin after that event. Even now, the thought was creepy and she felt a slight nausea.

Ra's host always was a beautiful young man but the man's beauty did not tempt Anath. She usually made sure to stay at least three metres from him, not just the personal space problem but also because of the aromatic drug he was using. Her behaviour amused him greatly which the only reason she had been able to get away with such an attitude.

"The System Lords are assembling urgently for tomorrow; however, I have summoned you early. My daughter, I would like to have your opinion on the matter of the meeting."

"My Lord Ra, it is an honour but I am a soldier to the core; what use am I to you in the political scene." Anath sighed; she should have shut her mouth as she was making a fool of herself.

"Would you laugh Anath, if I were to say that I have had no one as my advisor for a very long time?"

"No, my Lord, but Lady Egeria would be more suitable or (the witch) Lady Hathor..."

"The witch, Hathor...Indeed!"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean disrespect toward the Lady."

Ra laughed harder, his palm pulled up and abruptly he stopped laughing, "Hathor has her own agenda when she agreed to marry me; we both benefit greatly from the union. I do not trust her, though. Lady Egeria recently declined all my invitations and has not been seen publicly. I fear she is not well." Ra black eyes searched Anath for something but she had no idea what he wanted and finally he returned to talking, "My first wife, Ratet was my ears and eyes but she was killed by Sokar."

"And you have avenged her death. Is he, Sokar, not being torturing to these very days by you, my Lord Ra."

"You study well, it gives you an edge. Goa'uld tend to only care for power and see no points in history."

Anath shrugged her shoulder and waited for him to get to the point of why he had summoned her. Ra's roundabout way of discussion had always lost her, she sighed, and as if he read her thought he got straight to the point,

"Well it's about the Contention between Horus and Seth for Osiris' domain."

Anath did not see that coming; she had been steering clear of that war since it had started. It was rumoured that Seth had slain his brother Osiris. Seth then tried to take over the domain but Horus and, thus Osiris' son and Seth has fought ever since.

"Horus and Seth, they're both your enemies right?" Anath put in and immediately realise what she had said; she really should really shut her mouth up.

"That's what I like about when I'm talking to you. Yes, they are both my enemies. As all the Goa'uld Empire knows, I took Horus' wife, Lady Hathor as my mate and thus we are not in good relationship. Seth is my adversary but he is one of the few that I consider being a worthy rival to play with. It is hard to live millennia if we do not have something to contain our passion and hate. I believe you understand this well, my daughter."

Anath smirked and nodded, for she was easily bored.

"Then you have the answer, my Lord, a lover's scorn was never good a thing. Horus will not able to challenge you directly but he surely will stab you behind your back. While Seth's enthronement will ensure your life is more entertaining, would it not? I'll leave you to your contemplating." Anath saw Ra was pleased, it was his conclusion as...well.

Anath walked out and sight, she really wished to be far away from here. The Assembly of System Lords only meant trouble. One person she could do without, Lord Cronus. He would be there and he would surely have snide comments for her.

The assembly was same as usual, Anath leaned against the poll and ignored the other Lords. Her posture suggested that she was relaxed but it was a pretence; 'One is a fool to do so among such companions. It will be another endless quarrel among them'. However, Lady Neigh suggestion immediately jolted her awake, "In compensation for Seth's loss of the domain kingship, I propose that two goddesses should be arrange for him to wed. I am speaking of Ra daughters, Lady Anath and Lady Sekmet."

Anath hand clenched. 'Watch your mouth, you old cow! Just because we were known as Ra's favourite daughters, you would loved to get rid of us, huh?'

"Silence! And you too, Seth." Ra roared and everyone quietly calmed to hear his judgement.

"I, Lord Ra, the Supreme System Lord will not agree to this proposal. The domain should go to Seth."

Usually none would dare to gainsay Ra but Osiris' domain is one eighth of Goa'uld Empire at the time, it affected everyone at the shifting balance of power, through alliances which were very important over this deal. They murmured and refused to leave the assembly hall, one Goa'uld voice unfortunately reached Ra, "Ha, a Supreme System Lord you may be but your shrines are empty."

Ra blushed with anger and called a recession. He ordered his youngest son, *Bast to assassinate the Goa'uld in question before closing his chamber. (*Bast later took a female host and was renamed as Bastet)

"Anath, please wait." Anath turned around and saw a small female trailing behind her.

"Good day Sekmet, you are well." Anath nodded a greeting to the other girl.

"I'm glad father did not agree to the marriage proposal," Anath's eyes narrowed, she didn't like the feminine type Goa'uld who lured others into think them weak.

"Even if he did, I would not have accepted it." Anath spun around and return to her path.

"Please stop; sorry, I should be forthright with you. Anath, I need your help."

"My help? Oh, yes...I'm a mercenary who would you like to attack?"

"No, I want you to help me with my marriage."

Anath shook her head and thought the world had stopped spinning around its axis.

"Ptah is the one I wish to be wed."

"Why don't you speak to your father?" Anath became irritated, she was not a matchmaker. And why was this Goa'uld playing jokes on her at this time, when she is on her way to seek her little revenge? Lady Neith will not have a good night sleep tonight.

"He would kill him, Ptah is a Tau'ri!"

"A slave? You jest with me, my dear sister." Anath sneered.

"No, please, you're different than others here. I thought you would understand. I loved Ptah, he is a smith in the city."

"Turn him into a Goa'uld then."

"No, I want no other." Sekmet cried.

"What am I supposed to do to help you? I'm a soldier."

"You must know something. Everyone calls you the greatest Queen of our generation."

"I am pleased that someone would take that title seriously, my dear sister. Have they not sneered at me as the Virgin Queen behind my back?" She sighed.

Anath heard the rumour that Sekmet had seriously had psychological damage after witnessing her mother, Queen Ratet, killed by Sokar and it seemed that it was true after all.

Anath sighed and suddenly an idea pop to her mind, she was reminded of her own origin. There was one way but there were only a few queens of gods around to make it work and none would do it without a reason or benefit to them.

"Ptah made this for you; I told him that you may able to help us." Sekmet handed a dagger to her. Anath was about to sneer at the gift but her face was frozen at the craftsmanship. The slave was not worthless. Anath loved weapons. Whether it was a sword or a dagger, or a primitive piece, it is still a weapon and Anath could wield them all expertly.

Anath would love to meet this man, Ptah the smith. She had yet to find one that was able to make weapons to her satisfaction. The minor Goa'ulds that serves her in this capacity were the elite but their work still left Anath unhappy with the finish. This dagger was superbly, skilfully done. She knew a treasure when she saw one.

If she helped them, it would be rewarding for her later. She counted the Queens using the fingers on her hand, shaking her head. Finally, Lady Egeria flashed before her mind. The one that's would be most willingly to help her.

"Lady Egeria."

"Huh? Why Lady Egeria?"

"Let us leave Terra and visit Lady Egeria. I do not care about the outcome of the kingship."

"Oh, I'll have to leave a message to Lord Ra and inform him that we'll see our mother, Lady Egeria. I heard that she may be sick from him yesterday." Anath added as if to remind herself not to head off without an excuse, she hated the protocol.

"Wait Anath, but why Lady Egeria?" Sekmet followed her; the tiny figure ran instead of walked beside the ever-powerful Anath.

The planet Pangar was given to Lady Egeria upon her marriage with Lord Ra; it was a neutral ground. The planet was very beautiful landscape and no naquadah were found. Politically it was not a mining planet rather cultivated as a slave colony. Anath had spent months on Pangar, she liked the mild weather and found it to be a very peaceful place to unwind. But this time her trip to see Lady Egeria was for an urgent matter.

Anath was surprised at the lady's appearance. Lady Egeria's eyes were darkening from lack of sleep, for a Goa'uld it would mean more than just a few weeks, maybe even months or year to be at this state. Anath wonder what troubled the Lady, her oddity was renowned as Anath's fame for her mercy, she mused. It must one of those days.

Anath quickly relayed her tale, leaving her parent's biological name out and requested a similar blank symbiote for Ptah. She didn't expect the lady to weep, their kind was not known for shedding tears easily.

"Poor child, you really don't understand do you?" Lady Egeria patted Anath.

"A "blank" symbiote implantation is a horrible crime; it is like the host will have to start everything from beginning. Even a Tau'ri baby has memories of being inside a womb and later these are replaced with other important memories, but this is a choice. However, in your case, my child, you're very lucky to have a chance to grow from a baby to adulthood. However, if a blank symbiote was implanted into an adult host, it will just wipe the all host memories and probably give the host amnesia, rendering it a worthless body. It is cruel."

"Are you saying that my memories were wiped out because my mother implanted the "blank symbiote"? What other explanation could there be since you have no knowledge being a Goa'uld."

"Is it not true? You have neither generic memories of a Goa'uld nor that of a human host. You're almost as one individual, child. It is fascinating. I have thought of the possibility of two spirits living harmony as one. Maybe there is a hope for our kind after all."

Anath didn't understand nor did she pick up the unusual tone broadcast from Lady Egeria, her mind very much on the problem of Ptah.

"Give me time to think over this, Anath. Come back tomorrow and bring Sekmet with you. The child must be fretful by now waiting for your return."

"Goodnight, my Lady." Anath bowed respectfully and left the chamber with a heavy heart. She couldn't fathom what Lady Rhea, her mother, had been thinking when she gives them the blank symbiotes.

'Are we defective Goa'uld?'

TBC...

* * *

Publish Date: 25/06/10

Update Date: 22/09/10


	13. Ch12:It's often easier to ask

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

**_AN:_ **Those who waiting for Gringotts bank instalment is finally here, I tried to make it a bit difference than other fanfiction but maybe reading other version too much have influence this piece.

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

**Thank you very much Wantsome for beta the chapter. **

**Thanks for reviews and supports **(I really should email to reviewers immediately but things always getting in the way so please accept my humble apology).

* * *

**Chapter 12: It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.**

The lights shifted among the leaves, flickering through them to produce an intense ruddiness of colour, giving away the fall-season in all its splendour. Harry appreciated the view but he did not stop nor slow his pace, willing himself onward. Harry brightened at the sight of Godric Hollow, no further off than the end of the path. Harry jogged a bit faster to his goal; he was not tired, but rather energised after five laps around the village and quite thoroughly enjoying his morning exercises. This work out was thanks to Anath's coaching. She had scheduled tasks to make him physically stronger and improve his stamina, and she was quite please with his progress.

After a quick shower, Harry began his daily routine and the first job of the day is making breakfast. Harry busied himself over the stove, while his godfather, Sirius Black, was scanning the Daily Prophet with a cup of espresso on his hand, frowning over newspaper but that was not unusual. There was always something in the news that would displease him; Harry shrugged it off carelessly, it was useless even trying to guess what could be troubling his godfather. For example, yesterday he had ranted on about Veela occupation restrictions; so whatever it was this time, Harry would surely hear it sooner or later. However, he did not expect Sirius to slam the paper down hard on the wooden table. Harry winced, and then took a peek, hoping that Sirius had not cracked his table. Harry's eyes quirked as he heard Sirius cursing the Old Coot name. Harry continued to fry eggs, giving Sirius time to calm down.

"What is he up to now?" Harry poured milk into his glass, a bit bored and unconcerned with whatever reply he'd received. For him, the old man was but a distant distasteful memory.

"…Oh, nothing much, he just happened to accept your contract as the Hogwarts Champion as valid." Sirius kept it light tone but carefully watched his godson reaction.

Harry Potter was confused, "what contract...Hogwarts Champion? Sound like a fancy title."

"I would have given anything to participate in my old days but it was close. Wow, just thinking about it makes me so proud of you, only thirteen and magic chose you as Hogwarts Champion... an honour, but I guess being you...well," Sirius grinned, but became solemn once more, "I think you are in capital T, for TROUBLE Harry. Still what really perturbed me is how did they have you magically contract, when you were nowhere in the vicinity of the Goblet of Fire or Hogwarts for that matter. We were still in USA last week." Sirius fumed over the unanswered mystery and his face became even redder with annoyance when he remembered his godson had gone missing for a few days. '_Harry refused to tell me what he was doing on those days. Could he…Nah…Harry would not be at Hogwarts, our passports would shows otherwise. The document automatically updates when we are overseas. It was fortunate for us that passports are not under jurisdiction of The Ministry of Magic but the International Wizard United to ensure peaceful travelling between nations. _'

"Hmmm, I'm not interested in HOW, rather what we are going to do about the magical contract. I'm sure someone plays foul with the Goblet of Fire, either the maniac Death Eater or the old coot; they all have their motives." Harry had expected they would try something sooner or later. After all, it had been over a year since he was announced missing, "It just pisses me off that a magical contract is binding and those who refuse them often consequently end in becoming a squib and NO, Sirius, please wipe that smug expression off you. I do not intend to attend the Championship, thank you very much." Harry sarcastically stated.

"Well Harry, there are two ways that legally you could appeal your case and cancel this contract; either through the Wizengamot or the Goblins' Nation."

"I could understand the Wizengamot but what do the Goblins have to do with the Wizarding laws?" Harry surprised at the given information.

"There were cases, like me, where a convict was ordered to be captured on sight so it's unwise to appeal to the Wizengamot for a trial. On the other hand, the Goblins are a very neutral party and have been operating outside the Wizarding laws as they had see fit with their regime. They are likely to be of assistance in such situations. I think there is also an old Law that, invoked by Pureblood, allows the Goblins to execute such matters for a price. And the most important thing of all is Wizarding contracts are held by the Goblins not the Ministry of Magic." Sirius laughed as he considered the last assertion, "Oh boy! Aren't you lucky, Harry." He slapped his godson's shoulder.

"Yeah, and we all know why the Purebloods have that little clause somewhere. I bet I'll pay a king ransom for that privilege." Harry sank down into a chair and wondered if he had any money left in the bank and if he could even afford to proceed with the process. Harry remained deadpan and continued eating his meal. But actually he was worried, though he chewed on the problem silently.

"Harry…" Sirius was about to remind his godson that he could help out but Harry brushed him off.

"Damn, look at the times, I late for my studies," Harry tossed his hair guiltily, looked at the mess at the sink "Could you clean up for me? Thanks Sirius."

"No problems kid, and you did make breakfasts. I should have done them."

"I do enjoy cooking and Sirius, no hard feeling but your cooking sucks." Harry rolled his eyes as he dashed out the kitchen. Harry sighed because he had not exaggerated about his godfather's skills, the man was useless around the house. Harry had looked up spells for household repairing and maintenances, no thanks to his godfather. It seemed the role for genders were not much difference for the Wizarding World and the Muggle World. Harry admitted that when Sirius did try to help out, often it would only make the situation worse. But then there some things Sirius was winning. Harry found it difficult to fight on equal footing when it came to Wizard duelling, though this did not include physical combat when he used Goa'uld physical enhancement.

Harry's quill stopped, he re-read the passage and checked the references again to make sure he had not lost the context by being simplifying them into every-day English. His project was going well; it was at the final draft stage. Harry was relieved that the hurdle of research and pilot testing was over, though it had worth the effort and sweat he put into the Charm project. Harry's self-education was different. Instead of following the curriculum set out by Hogwarts, Harry chose another path by combining the other Wizarding schools' curriculums into a single syllabus and even raised the achievement bar upwards. Harry was driven to be the best, just to prove that Hogwarts education was beneath him. However, the notion may have once been bounced off by Anath. Sirius had helped with the overall structure, but he was not able to grade or feedback on Harry's projects since some were out of his depth.

There is no denying that Sirius may be one of the best Aurors of his time and that meant his knowledge was extensive on various subjects. But he had not Mastered in any of them. They were struggling for a while until late last year when they contacted with Alphard Black's best friend (Sirius' Uncle), Armand Layfields, the owner of the International Wizarding Publishing Company. Lord Layfields was disappointed that Sirius had been captured as a Death Eater; he was overseas at the time and knew little regard to Sirius' arrest or lack of trial. The case was cut and dried by the time he returned and reoccupying his ancestral home in Ireland. Sirius' escape did not help the matter of trust, but Lord Layfields felt he should give Alphard's nephew a chance; he did promise Alphard on his deathbed to watch over the boy.

Lord Layfields was very disturbed after the truth serum had carried out its work. He found the truth to be sad and overwhelming. He would like to help to clear the boy's name, but he knew that he did not have political power when it come to the Ministry of Magic, even though he was well known and powerful in the Wizarding Academic field However, Sirius did not mind the situation, he was only glad that he had another wizard who gave him a chance and everything had gone according to his plan. Lord Layfields had taken Harry's projects and given them to a professional in the field to check out for a fee. These acceptances were done as a favour to Lord Layfields, otherwise it would have been impossible, but later Harry earned the merit. Amazingly, three of Harry's latest projects: Rune, DADA and Charms, had made their way to various professional journals. Harry delighted in his achievement, for, at such a young age, his projects were considered the work of a professional or that of a master. Although, it was a pity that the published name was under alias and not his real name. Harry's projects were very thoroughly researched and some even broke through the current studies; it wasn't the work of a child, rather accumulated comprehensive academia. Harry contemplated the changes in his life, and couldn't help but be thankful for Anath's prodding and his own inquisitive mind that had brought him this far. Sirius and Lord Layfields called him a genius but he knew better. Sure he was very intelligent, but it was nothing compared to sharing his mind with Anath, one of the oldest Goa'uld in the universe.

The current Charms project he was working on was finding the common properties of magic spells used for moving objects. Mostly these related to teleportation spells such as Accio (summoning charm), Banishing charm, Evanesco (Vanishing spell), Obliteration charm, Placement charm, Switching spell and so on. These spells were simple and often used daily by Wizards/Witches. Nevertheless, because they were old spells and the creators were long gone, thus unable to answer his questions, Harry had to study the spells' properties himself. Since the construction of how the spells were created was not published (copyright issue), often they were distorted by the creator who tried to keep the properties secret.

It was complicated enough just to figure out the properties, as the source of spells were series of Runes combining logically with Arithmancy calculations. But because of the distortion of spells, he had first to filter, decipher and finally separate them into the correct order. It left him many nightmares, literally waking at nights because his mind was filled with numbers. Though, whenever he able to crack a spell's properties he was beyond thrilled and admired the work of geniuses who had been forgotten for their contributions. At other times, he cursed them and those current professionals who had yet to research these spells.

Harry was satisfied with the results, his hypothesis was correct. He rubbed his eyes to relax but his thoughts wandered off to his other problem, the contract. "You forgot the maggot has plenty of gold to buy you out." Anath inserted, '_he was about to offer it too_.'

"Yeah, that… but I don't want to. Haven't you always taught me to give my best and not depend on anyone?" Harry mocked his counterpart.

"Whatever, if all fails I'll gain an obedient body." Harry ignored her jibe.

"I don't think I can put this off any longer, the distress is not good for concentration on my studies. I should write to the Goblins today for an appointment, before I'm off with Rune subject." Harry broken off his thought and glanced at the desk to find it was messy and no clean scrolls were left. "Accio paper." A clean scroll paper zoomed into his palm and Harry settled to write to Goblin Bank.

[Break]

Harry studied his godfather while he waited for approval as Sirius read over Harry's letter, "That great, it good to go kid." Sirius hand it back. Harry smiled for he really enjoyed Sirius' praise. It bathed him with warm-light.

"Before I forget, these letters are for you." Sirius took them out off his pocket. They were Muggle letters, evidenced by mail stamps at the top corner of envelop.

Harry shifted through the letters, mumbling, "Ehmmm, two letters here from Jack, one from Sarah and another is from Park Ranger…Park Ranger, Sirius?"

"It was not my fault that you disappeared for a few days on the bloody mountain. Well, who is Sarah? I recognised Jack's name as we stayed with him."

"I met her in USA and she is…a secret." He took the letter off to somewhere he could read without being disturbed.

"If you weren't a little kid, I'd have thought you having affair or something." Sirius sulked; hoping Harry would hear him but he waited in vain for a reply.

[Break]

"Well, that was interesting." Anath snorted

"What? Sarah seems to have brightened since last we saw her. Though that is not very strange since she thought the whole event was nightmare. She wrote that she has been going to therapy treatment twice a week. I would have thought she finished them after Charles' death. The overall note, I felt that she could move on but…"

"Ah, you are worried about Jack O'Neill. I would advise otherwise, he should be fine."

"I don't know… the tone of letter is a bit off, it's like a goodbye letter." Harry folded the letters, the second letter was a brief note that Jack wrote; he had been assigned to a mission next month and might not see Harry next year as he had promised, _'well maybe I'm worrying too much like you say.'_ Jack did mention it was all dependent on the success of the mission and it sounded like he wanted the mission to be successful. _'Strange?'_

"Anath, you're snickering at me, is there something I should know?"

"You should concentrate on your own problems first Harry. Jack is a grown man and can take care of himself."

Harry leaned back against the pine tree thoughtfully, "Maybe I should write to Sarah and encourage her to see Jack for closure…"

"Yup and she sure will take that advice well, dear."

"…Maybe…"

"Please no more scenarios and get back inside the house. Your stomach has been grumbling and it's starting to irritate me."

[Break]

"_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._"

*Inscription from the doors of Gringotts, HPPS*

Harry pondering over the inscription, his hand touched the lines and sought out any hidden residual magic bound inside those words but found nothing. No similar Imperius Runes was store there.

"Told you, you had putting too much credits on the Goblins securities." Anath snickered as Harry scowled.

"No harm being extra cautious. Hagrid did say not to cross the Goblins and, by the way, the last resort is stealing the contract so wouldn't that be considered as step over the line?" He asked innocently. That was her crazy backup plan if they could not afford it.

"I've found wizards always exaggerating things."

"And how do wizards equate to Goblins?"

"…."

Harry tried but he couldn't make the words out, maybe Anath had spoken another language. But the tone was not very pleasant so he retreated. "Huh? No, never mind, I'm better off not knowing."

The last silver doors closed behind them yet there was no sound made as they stood inside the lobby. The hall was not as full as at other times he had visited so they walked along the marble floor, passing long counters and customers without being waylaid. They shortly reached the end of the hall and immediately saw the doorway to the vaults. The rough stone passageways should be behind the large door but they were not here to retrieve money. Harry eyes discreetly searched around and found numerous smaller office doors; one of them must be where his appointment would be held. Sirius, disguised as an old man, his grandfather, steered him to a door with a number 7 label on it. He looked down at the card and accepted this was the room. Harry straightened himself and knocked the door, and was instructed by someone at the other side to "Come In".

Harry stared the Goblin, one of few that he had met. He had been fascinated with the magical beings, though never had the time to study them. The Goblin greeted them neutrally as his species did with all wizards, before sitting down at the other side of table. After introductions, the Goblin known as Gobock jumped straight into the agenda of the meeting. It seems the Goblin's manners had won Anath's approval immediately, leaving the young wizard uneasy with such thought. Anath rarely ever approved of anyone.

"Mr. Potter, my esteemed colleagues and I have thoroughly perused over Goblet of Fire Championship contract as you requested. Here is a list of flaws that may enable you to be exempt from the contract. And besides, there is creditable evidence in the form of records on your passport which reveal that you were not in the country during the period. I am happy and give authorisation to resolve the contact as invalid; we'll inform the Headmasters of the situation that you'll not participate and have no obligation carry out the contract. The notification document will be sent to you and all concerned parties before the first task takes place. Finally, here is the bill statement for the service."

Gobock slipped the bill in front of him. Harry was gobsmacked at the amount for he was not far off regarding it as a king ransom. "Close your mouth dear, it is unbecoming of you, Harry. And here, I thought you had improved much since I took you under my wing." Anath nudged him.

"This should not be a dent to your inheritance Mr. Potter." Gobock assured the boy as he watched Harry's aghast face. The goblin had not expected such a strong reaction.

"Inheritance? I don't think my 687 vault covered this amount."

"Actually, the vault sum is just enough to balance the transaction but we thought it better to use the Potter's vault, 105. Otherwise we'd have to close down the school vault 687 as it would be too little to keep the account open. We estimate that at least 5 years of interest accumulation from the Potter family vault able fill the vault again."

"What Potter's vault 105? Is that my family vault? Accumulation of interest?"

"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?" the Goblin looked at him strangely as if Harry was about to be sick.

"I'm fine. Vault 105?" Harry was determined to get the answer even though the Goblin studied him oddly.

"I could call a healer to check you? At no cost to you of course, Mr. Potter..."

"What...no, I want to know about vault 105!"

"It is very strange indeed that you do not know about vault 105. We have been sending you statements every year, and before you started Hogwarts we were sending them to your magical guardian, that is Headmaster Dumbledore, since your godfather, Lord Black, was unable to fulfil his responsibility."

Sirius sighed, "It seems the old man concealed this from you. The family vault is accessible only to the Head of the House, and since you the only Potter, the vault is yours but for full access when you reach adulthood. The vault 687 is the Heir vault or Potter Children's vault. It like when you have your own children, they will able to access the vault 687. The accumulated interest always allows the vault to reach maximum balance unless there is no gold left in the family vault." Sirius lowered his voice before he continued. "My 711 vault is my personal wealth which my parents were not allowed to touch. Most of it was inherited from my uncle Alphard and the savings I had from the Black Children's vault before I was disinherited by my mother. Of course, I am Lord Black now so my family vault 25 belongs to me but I have yet to touch it. It is too well known to the Minister of Magic and I would surely be caught if I were to go anywhere near it. "

"Yes. However, Mr. Potter there is a way for you to bypass the law."

"That is preposterous advice Gobock, my godson maybe the Lord Potter when he comes of age but he certainly does not hold any other titles. James would tell me otherwise."

"Ah, Sirius Black, aka Lord Black; it is surprising to see you with your godson... so I take it that you're innocent. Lord Black, Mr. Potter, you see I have very good intuition for these things. But actually I know Mr. Potter's heritage very well, and that is why I recommend a test. For a fee, of course. You understand nothing is free, yes, Lord Black?"

"Sirius, I think I should take the test. Legally the old coot's still my guardian. I'm sure he'll use this influence sooner or later to tie me down."

"That is very good decision Mr. Potter, please follow me. I think you'll find this worth more than the fee charged." Gobock stoped Sirius at the door and spoke to Harry, "You could tell your godfather of the result later, if you wish, but he can't come with you." Harry nodded and Sirius returned back to his chair.

[Break]

"Ah…you are troubled with your birthright, Lord Potter." They both watched fascinated as blood wove names onto tapestry, spread upwards and outwards in some case to minor branches of connections showing distances relatives. Gobock had seen many blood tapestries before but never one as extensive as Harry Potter's. Harry James Potter was printed at the bottom, above it was James Potter and Lily Evan and continues onward of their family lines.

Harry narrowed his eyes at a particular name on his mother's family tree at the furthest right corner, "Tom Marvolo Riddle" he hissed.

"The world is definitely small." Anath was amused. She was not surprised that her host is connect to Tom, distantly of course.

Gobock interrupted the tension building from his customer, "It was unfortunate that the Sylvia Slytherin line became squibs. Until the birth of your mother Lily Evan, but she did not meet old law requirements to be the Heir. Sylvia's younger twin, Serena Slytherin joined the Noble House of Gaunt line. However, the Gaunt line had declined as well nearly to squib status. So they, too, could not claim the Slytherin House, until Tom Marvolo Riddle, very gifted in magic, was born. Tom was powerful and that made him the first Lord Gaunt since Serena's son. If you had been born female, the Slytherin House would have passed on to Tom as the claims on the old law are stronger than you."

Harry spotted that Sylvia and Serena were the last Slytherin before they joined in marriage with other Houses. He was surprised Sylvia had wed Edmund Evan, the first of the Evan line. He finger traced Edmund Evan to his mother the last Noble House of Lapin.

"Ah yes Edmund Evan's father was a Muggle, actually a descendant of the squib line of King Arthur. Edmund's mother, Lady Lapin, was famous for her manipulation of the British King Henry VI. She was one of those rare wizards and witches that were given a Muggle title, Countess Lapin, which you now inherit from the Muggle World. We'll send a letter to Her Majesty to inform her of the good news and I'm sure she'll receive you soon. However, the Wizarding World heavily frowns upon such titles and connections to Muggle World."

"Ah the tapestry has completed." Gobock tapped his magic on the tapestry and a scroll appeared. "This scroll contains the list of Noble Houses that you either the Head or the Heir of. The scroll will be automatically updated when you become Heir or Head of other Houses if the current ones die. I believe you'll have another on your list soon. Lord Black has applied for Blood adoption process." Harry only nodded; Sirius had mentioned this to him. Harry concentrated on reading the scroll because strangely he found it very difficult.

* The Noble House of Potter

The Noble House of Black

The Noble House of Gamp

The Noble House of Lapin

The Noble House of Gryffindor

The Noble House of Slytherin

The Noble House of Peverell

The Noble House of Ollivander*

"The Noble House of Ollivander?" Harry was dazed; it seemed his world's axis was spinning off in a different direction today.

"Lord Potter, Ollivander is one of first of Wizarding Houses, older than the Slytherin and rival to Peverell House. You should be proud of your standing in the Wizarding world, Lord Potter. You are very well connected in the Wizarding World, related to almost all the Noble Houses in our world. It was a pity that some of the great wizarding lines have died out many centuries before. But you are the direct descendant of them. It is not so unbelievable that you should be the Heir of Ollivander House."

Gobock left the boy to come to terms with his families' legacy. Gobock had his own selfish reason to help Harry Potter. Gobock remembered there was an old promise of wizards to the Goblin Nation. The promise had been lost in time, and the Goblin only knew that the promise was very important to both their kind. Since the Goblins had forgotten what the promise was, Golock hoped that the wizards, with their habit of keeping records on trivial matters in a journal, record may be found in one of vaults; an heirloom that waited, dormant, for the right Heir to claim. Gobock had an intuition that Harry James Potter holds the key.

"Gobock does that mean that others who come for their family test would be shown something similar to mine…including all their connections."

"Well no, Lord Potter. For example in Tom Morvolo Riddle's case, he has access to the knowledge of the Gaunt House and other heritage Houses that were his, but he would not see the entire Slytherin line. His tapestry would only contain information of Serena and Sylvia as siblings and their parent Sylvester Slytherin. Therefore, no further information would be known to him; like Peverell joining with Slytherin House which was a generation back. I remembered he made a request years ago on how he relates to Salazar Slytherin, at the time we would have told him if we knew, for he, Tom Riddle was a great wizard and he had impressed us, the Goblins."

"If this is correct, then Tom must have known that he would not inherit the House of Slytherin." Harry said thoughtfully, remembering Salazar's note in the Chamber of Secrets; _'It make sense now why Salazar was correct when he called me his Heir.'_

"Here, Lord Potter, are the vaults you are able to access, the only one that you not able to access at present is Ollivander's vault 04, the Head of House is still very much alive, but you are entitled to another vault that set up by Ollivander House for their Heir, vault 125."

"I believe this is all wrapped up. Congratulations, your Lordship, your obligations for each of the Houses will be sent to you later; for much paperwork will have to be done before that. The Head Family rings are in the next room. Please open that door, Griphook will help you there."

Gobock made a formal bow but this time it was deeper bending, as Gobock looked up his greyish eyes shone with respect which had not been there when they had first met. Harry thought he heard a low whispered echo before leaving room but put it down to his imagination.

"You've proven that you're more powerful and connected than I have expected Lord Potter. We, the Goblins expect great things from you. Go forth with our blessing Lord Potter."

TBC...

* * *

PS. Before going to rant off hard core HP fans, please note this is AU fanfiction. I've Harry relating to Ignotus Peverell (Owner of the Cloak of Invisibility) through his father line and Cadmus Peverell (owner of the Resurrection Stone) through his mother line. The House of Ollivander is important to my story so wait for chapter 14a instalment (I'm about to complete chapter 14b).

I've reposted the previous chapters. I'd rewritten for the first few chapters so no major changes just made some points clearer. The story is reeditted by one of my favourite authors, **Riddle Master 101**. I really like the story A Lightning's Tale and recommended for HP fans to read this story. Wantsome is still my beta and she's the greatest. Signing off and hope to be back soon.

* * *

Publish Date: 21/10/10

Update Date: 22/10/10


	14. Ch13:Interlude – The Children of Gods P3

_**Disclaimer: **_**This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**

**AN: **Here is the list of Goa'uld language is used in the chapter.

Peltac — Bridge of the ship

Mel nok tee! — Evacuate now!

Reenlokia — The Asgard

Kree hol mel — We are standing by or Waiting

Arik tree'ac te kek — We do not surrender, even in death

Aray Kree — Stay where you are

Tal shak! — Attack

Lek tol — Signing off

Remoc — The end of a journey

This may help with any confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…_**thoughts…**_**' **

**Thank you very much Wantsome for beta the chapter. **

**Thanks for reviews and supports **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 13: Interlude – The Children of Gods**

_**Part Three – Checkmate!**_

_(3090BC)_

The space had displayed brilliant fireworks colours even after the battle was ended. These colourful sparks were emitted from the breakages caused by destruction. It was the only evidence of countless of lives that had been lost on the battlefield. Anath, "The Merciful", observed the scene with distaste as her mother-ship (Hataks) entered to orbit the war zone. No, she did not have a problem with war. She was in fact thriving on battle but the scene clearly showed wastefulness of resources and that was something she could not tolerate. Anath transported quickly with her servants to the Operation Base, a temporary facility in this section for the War Council Assembly.

'_It's better to strike while the iron is hot. They're unlikely to be prepared for my arrival. Ra's envoy has not yet dispatched from Terra as reported.'_

However, it was taking longer to arrive at the base than she anticipated. The journey was delayed because of limited space. There were at least hundreds of Hataks that were stationed above the planet, thus leaving little space for Anath's ships to anchor without some amazing manoeuvres from her skilful pilots.

'_It's indeed is a rare sight for so many System Lords to gather their vessels at one place_.'

Anath's entering the Council Chamber whilst masking her feelings with an impassive face, for she had much to accomplish this very hour.

'_And a surprising entrance would do just that'_.

Anath had stayed away from this war and would continue to do so if she was given the choice. Ba'al agreed to be a neutral party, like her, since their parents were sided with Horus. They were probably the only two Battle Lords that were neutral. It was not surprising that the Contention Assembly for Osiris' domain had escalated and became the war of the gods.

Ra had requested for her assistance, which she had been ignored, giving flimsy excuses that she was too busy with her own campaigned to join the battle.

'_It was crowded without adding me as well.' _

However, the insistence was finally issued as an order from the Supreme Lord and that was why she here today. Anath knew Ra was dangerous, _'the sleeping lion'_ which she had dubbed as his namesake was no longer fitting as she had witnessed his power first hand. It was overwhelming and confronting who Ra was, leaving her still shaken.

'_I still need a lot of work but now I know how wide the gap between us is.'_

Anath sighed regretfully at the battle of the wills and unconsciously sank her teeth into the lower lip, drawing blood.

"My Lady" Nina II's whisper jolted Anath back to the present. Anath licked the blood devilishly, _'...consider everything that has happened, I have a lot to gain from this.'_ Anath tried to sooth the bitterness that dwelled deep within.

'_One eighth of the Goa'uld domain, huh? Ra did promise my share. Of course, I know the importance of this war to our Empire, but a large cake would no doubt be bad for indigestion.'_ Anath stood surveying the room when the door shut behind her and let her aura fill the room.

When Anath was younger, she thought aura or essence was a trick that few first generation Goa'uld possessed. Like a ribbon device (a priceless artefact own by Battle Lord and lesser for the Servant Lord). However, this power was not from a tool.

Anath remembered her first meeting with Lady Egeria and the powerful presence she had felt. "The Queen's Presence, it was called." It was sheer force of energy emitted from individual and only the strongest Goa'uld was able to drawn it out. Anath had unfortunately tasted the depth of such powerful force when she last saw Ra.

Ra was exerting a wall of pressure and making his presence even bigger than it usually felt and combining it with the intense killing force that was lethal at the time. She had to will herself not to pass out or fall down and trembling with fear. _' "Not a small feat for one so young. You've awareness of it already to be able to fight back; it seems I have unintentionally taught you something today." Ra had complimented her afterward. And it seems I shall need this power today to rule over them.'_

Anath let the flow of air dominated by her force and the surrounding air become thicker as the mood of the room became too unbearable to be ignored and abruptly stopped the flow of conversation within the room. All eyes were turned to Anath and unwillingly bathed in her regal spirit.

It was the first time she reached for this power and it unexpectedly played havoc with her senses but she gave nothing away. The flow of energy was redirected from her inner-being and spread outward. It was intoxicating. The awareness of the surrounding and senses were increases tenfold but the consequence of the most impact was the feeling of being alive, the sense of domination over the surrounds lead the wielder to crave for supremacy, and thirst for crushing another was unbearable.

'_I felt like I'm at the centre of them, I'm the sun and the others are tiny little planets orbiting within my whim. IS THIS POWER?' _

_*A/N –this notion will be expanded on later chapter. I considered that Goa'uld did find a way to enlightenment but their thirst for power stopped them from further evolution along the path to ascendant beings. I'm sure this concept does not overstretch, as Goa'uld used human host for thousands of years and had interacted with Alteran at some point in the past. That showed they must have some knowledge/idea that eventually lead Anibus and some Jaffa quests for enlightenment.*_

"Lady Anath. It's lovely to see you." Seth was first to greet her, breaking her trance. There was respected in those dark pools which was not been there the last time they met, although the onyxes still caressed her slim figure as always. Anath tried not to roll her eyes; Seth was well known among his peers as a womaniser. It seems Seth and Ra were rivals in other things besides their prowess as War Lords. Anath nodded acknowledgement to the rising System Lord _*A/N this specifically regard to his position at Ra Court, for Seth has power of his own standing*_, before narrowing her eyes, swiftly taking note whose were there in the chamber; although, she already knew who was attending according to the report.

She tilted her head and, lazily with a bored tone, announced as if it was a trivial matter, "In the name of Supreme System Lord, RA, I hereby accept the leadership role taking over this operation. Here is the Eye of Ra given to me to verify his authority." There was note of satisfaction even though she had tried hard to hide it.

And with those words Anath knew the audience hated her very guts but she was careless about how they felt, _'Some would say I'm an uprising bitch._' She was neither there as their babysitter nor she was there to please them. Ra had ordered her to win this war quickly, for it had been prolonged for a decade. He was getting impatient as the war had started to erode and fracture his Empire.

Discontentment echoed in the chamber, some were trying hard to hide their sneers and envy, while others nodded giving their silent consent to her leadership; however, Anath knew they were ALL seething inside.

'_As much as you dislike me, I've taking you by surprise and you have nothing to contradict or overthrow my command. Once you leave this room, you cannot do anything about it; so here and now you'll release your command to me until this war is over or Ra comes to lead this war himself._'

"Is there one who would challenge me?"

Anath knew why Ra had chosen her for this task. She had what it took to be his right hand commander. She was known for her forceful nature and giving her a 'no' for an answer led to questions of one's sanity; '_are you ready to knock on Death's Door?'_

"Step forward and face me or shut your mouth forevermore." She searched their eyes, and knew none would dare.

Anath would not mind killing one to set an example and she would just report it to Ra later. He would not care and likely give her a slap in the wrist to give them a show. It certainly helps showing her predator temperament as she pushed an intense killing force within the Chamber and filled the occupants with terror as, one by one, they cowardly backed down.

'_If it had been Ra's force, they would all faint with terror. It's still too early for me. I wonder how I would fare against my own father, Cronus, that is if he could use it.' _Anath mused.

"No? That is very good, let us not start the union with bloodshed my fellow System Lords!" Anath sneered and strode toward the centre chair and sat down before surveying the room once more.

"First order, I want an update on the overall situation, I need information on today's battle. Where is the damage lists, the resources list…?" Anath paused when no one came forward.

The room had gone eerily quiet and then, suddenly, footsteps echoed as the Lotars ran out the chamber as if their lives depended on it. They were smart to know that they needed to get the reports without being requested from their master.

The corner of Anath's lips twisted, "I see! What have you been doing in this Council of War?" _'Mostly likely arguing with each other, bunch of children.'_ she sighed, "This is war; efficiency and effective planning are required to win. Victory is attainable only when good strategies are put into place."

There was only silence again which fuelled her anger even more, "NO COMMENT! This is my second order. Regroup yours Jaffas and have them rest for three days." She saw some eyes raises at her command but ignored them, _'It is useless to educate them. Fools, your slaves and Jaffa are your power and yet you don't care for their welfare. I've not said indulge them, giving them rest once in a while to recover would help them to be more focus to fight and survive the battle for you.'_

"I'll not go into this battle blind and without information. I'll give my counsel on the fourth day. That will be all; this Council of War is concluding for today, my Ladies and Lords. If you've no further useful information to add, then return to your ships."

The Goa'uld scrammed out of room as fast as they could, leaving behind three high ranking System Lords in the chamber.

"Is that a bit too forceful, my Lady?" Yu's intelligent brown eyes pierced her, "It's not good for the human body to emit such a force." He whispered a warning for her ears and bowed respectfully before leaving the Chamber.

Anath shrugged it off indifferently, so Yu is another she should watch out for among the oldest System Lords. _'I already knew he is someone to be reckoned with anyway.'_

"Congratulation, Anath. You're always entertaining, my Lady. Ra has chosen well." Seth kissed her hand before she could decline the gesture and he, too, left the room just a few steps behind Yu.

"I, too, congratulate you, Lady Anath. My brother has always spoken well of you." Apophis' tone was sincere but Anath suspected otherwise.

"Thank you." She nodded to dismiss him. The sapphires glinted with distrusted as the middle-aged-seeming Goa'uld's back turned, leading him away from her and the Chamber. _'So that is the Goa'uld known as Ra's Shadow. Why did Ra keet such an unpleasant man close to him, even though they are biologically related?'_ Anath fumed before facing her Servant Lords and Nina II, personal attendant. They, too, had similar thoughts written on their faces.

"It's good to see you Sekmet, Plah/Selmak."

"I cannot believe you are here. The last time I spoke to you was a fortnight ago, you still had the little skirmish with Shiva." Sekmet gave Anath a glass of wine before joining her mate, Plah/Selmak, who sat beside Anath.

"It ended more quickly than I anticipated because the Reenlokia's mothership intervened in our battle. The bloody **'Aegir'** accused us of battling on their sanctified ground. I was lucky to have minimal damage inflicted on my Hataks comparing to the prick, Shiva. We called it off, as a golden rule when Goa'uld encounter Reenlokia. Lord Ra contacted me soon after the battle and here I am."

"You've make a lot of enemies today, my Lady."

"More than my usual share," Anath mocked at Plah, he was a gentle soul and strangely she got on well with him even though he was a Ta'uri. Often they discussed weapons, a common interest with her.

Plah shook his head and continue, "Given the circumstance, it is indeed the best strategy to take control of the council. However, as a friend and servant I could not help but to say that Ra had put you in impendent doom if this venture should fail."

"Plah, walls have ears darling." Sekmet chided her mate, Sekmet always had deep fear for him and tried to curb his habits even when they were in good company. He was worse than Anath, too outspoken. She felt lucky that while they were with other Goa'uld company, Selmak, the other half of Plah could take over and control the situation without looking suspicious.

'_I don't know how Lady Egeria did it but Selmak was the first Goa'uld willing to share the body with the human host._ _Selmak is the one of Lady Egeria's new children.'_

"It's alright Sekmet. Ra has told me the same. Either I come out on top of this game or he has no use for me. It is sad." Anath sarcastically informed them, "However, I would have done the same things in his place. Recently, Ra has felt his control over the empire has been slipping."

"Father, told you that?" Sekmet surprised and felt jealous but shrugged off quickly, in the scheme of things she was a minor Goa'uld, rank higher than Servant Lord since she was the daughter of Ra. _' __**"It is a pity you have a little ambition"**__, my father once told me after asking me a question to which I could not remember the answer. All I know is he only spoke to me of mundane things after that conversation.' _

"Hmmm, he only told me what I need to know Sekmet. There is little guesswork with the current situation. Ra sleaves are full of secrets; I doubt that there is anyone in the Empire to whom he would divulge all his secrets, a ruler is always a loner, much less the fact that we're Goa'uld." Anath indulged her audience with her opinion, the few that she could confide in. But she should get off this dangerous topic, even as straightforward as she was, she knew the thin line she was treading and thus choose to switch the conversation over weaponry.

"Plah, I have to say the dagger and the sword you created are great weapons. Baal also compliments you on the job well-done and I have given him the design blueprint." Anath stopped the discussion when she saw Plah's disappointed face, "You not happy that the design was given to Baal?"

Plah nodded, he was about to say something but thought better of it and decided to ask something else, "Do you know why he had wanted the blueprint?"

"I think he mentioned something about Ashrak weapons."

"Ashrak?" Sekmet wondered if it meant the same as the Goa'uld word spoken.

"I heard recently that a group of Goa'uld are training to be assassin masters. Maybe they call themselves Ashrak." Selmak, awaken by his host, Plah, responded to Sekmet's query.

"If that is the case, these weapons and the use of deadly poisons are surely great tools for their operation." Anath concluded with a troubled expression, _'What has Baal being doing lately?'_

"This is certainly interesting, I'll look into it. Assassination is not a new concept but training a group for a specific task is certainly a dangerous ambition." Selmak nodded and patted his consort's palm to stop her encroached on his decision. Sekmet decided she would speak to Plah later; Selmak would listen to Plah as they were partner in the same body. Sekmet knew she had no influence on Selmak at all.

"Assassination is cowardly way to kill someone. In which case, I've no interest in such an operation." Anath firmly resolved, "Selmak, I hope you have good news. How are your doing with my armour and shield?"

"The shield devices using kinetic waves to repel fast moving objects are completed. I have brought them with me. Uh, not here but on our ship, Sekmet called it a Hardesh, she loves the personal shield device. I have only been able to craft three of them so far." Selmak paused, wondering how to continue, while his inner self was in conflict over giving too much information away.

'_I've already sent the blueprint to Tok'ra, my friendship and mother's order for me to serve Anath is my priority at present but the Tok'ra needs me more. Anath is too blind when it comes to Baal; she rarely keeps any secrets from him. Her alliance with Ra is a questionable reason for me to serve her faithfully. I'm still not sure why mother wants me to serve Anath when our beliefs are so contradictory.'_

He sighed, _'It is amazing that these new devices were originally invented by Anath and, with Plah's smith skill and my knowledge, we were able to produce them. I've no wish for the blueprint to become Goa'uld common knowledge. I did put a few extra mechanisms to prevent re-engineering or copying of the technology but if Anath gave them to Baal like the dagger and sword, I've a feeling it would be to our disadvantage in the future. I must warn her without alienating her.'_

"However, the device could not be re-produce as mass production even if someone has the blueprint." Selmak finished his report on Hardesh before he counselled on the situation regard the armour, "The electric circuit is working properly, though there is still some need of adjustment with the naquadah stone. The problem is the power. Even the dust particle from naquadah is too much and overloads the circuit. I need a bit more time, my Lady."

"I've studied and re-drawn the design, there should be no problem. The safety mechanism should drain the power to neutralise overheating energy?"

"That is true, the design is flawless but production it is another thing. I'm confident I should completed this before this year passes."

"It's OK, Plah, take your time. I know you're in need of more naquadah for your experiments. It is a pity that at the moment the resources are focussed on distribution to maintain the armed forces. However, I had stumbled on a little piece of secret information by accident a while ago. It seems that Horus has a few planets hidden, mining naquadah. I'll get them from him personally, when he is fallen into my hand. I'm sure this would solve our little problem over naquadah." Anath grinned, leaving her companions uncomfortable and feeling sorry for the poor sot.

[Break]

"BLAST IT!" Anath suddenly fired the ribbon device, and the telekinetic blasted a hole in the dense wall. It so happened that the very blast had missed damaging the control panel by a centimeter. Her servants knew she had missed it on purpose and none dared to move from their spots in the likelihood that she might fire another shot. Anath gripped the arm of her chair tightly instead of obeying her urges. It was unbecoming for a goddess to loose her cool. Even showing that she had completed control when she had redirected her aim at the last minute, if not she certainly would have felt like a fool now.

"Get out!" She commanded. "It also means you as well Nina," she was amused at the girl's bravery. _'Silly chick, you have been getting ahead of yourself lately.'_

"My Lady, let me serve you. What servant am I that I would run at the first opportunity when my master is in trouble?"

Anath was about to bite the girl off for her insolence but mumbled "Foolish child" instead. She knew well that to do otherwise would end the pretence that the situation was still within her control.

"It's almost as if we have a spy in our mist." Anath leaning back against the chair tiredly, thinking over events. It had been three nights since she had led them into battle. The tactic she had planned for seizing Horus' Moon Base had failed and thus overthrown her game strategy for a quick decisive win. _'There should have been no failure. It was perfectly executed. Yet, Horus' army was there to ambush us.'_

"Lady Anath, I think you not far off about a spy." Nina's voice penetrated her frustration though she had dismissed it earlier.

"No one would dare!" Anath gritted her teeth, "And even if that is the case, all the Systems Lords were with me at the time when I ordered the command for first strike. It took a few hours for the troops to launch but I had observed them like a hawk during the operation."

"My Lady, I think you overlooked the Lotars, they moved freely during those times. Numerously, I notice them discretely blending in the background but actively gathering information. It was their job to spy for their master. I have done the same too."

"I did not ask it of you; I would prefer that you do not interact with the others." Sapphires darkened over the information; she had underestimated the servants just because they were slaves, they too played their part in the Goa'uld Empire.

"I couldn't leave the chamber to catch the spy red handed but there were two Lotars who raised my suspicions from their body language. I'd wager they were up to no, my Lady. Grandaunt taught me those clues to serve you, my Lady."

"I see. And to whom do they belong?" she never once thought Nina would be useful to her, "Speak!" She commanded noticing the girl shifting uneasily, "I'll reward you when the spy is caught. The name of their masters will do and I'll narrow down the likelihood of the traitor." The sapphires glowed mixing with golden light and promising immense pain to whoever it was.

"Seth and Hathor II." Nina knew that those two names would be the least suspected and unbelievable to suggest of betraying Anath, and that was why she had hesitated to report them. Nina did not care for the reward, serving Anath was like breathing. She was born to serve her master and her admiration for Anath from childhood tale from Grandaunt had turned into the real life worshiping of an idol.

"You've the wrong names, Nina. This very war has become more than merely greed to Seth; his name and position is at stake. Hathor II is my very own servant Lord besides Sekmet. I raised the girl and know her well. Hathor I, her mother, threw her out when she proved to be the weakest among the younger Goa'uld generation and she swore her loyalty to me."

"Please believe me, my Lady. I swear to you upon my and family's honour …" Nina cried realizing she was in no position to redeem herself through her words to her master, '_what honour for one such as me_?' Nina kowtowed flat to the ground and waited for her punishment; she is a servant, a slave and she is accusing her betters of betrayal.

"Stand up, Nina. Although I usually enjoy others fearing and cowering before my godliness, but snivelling is an undignified act for my servant. You'd better remember that Nina. I'll investigate this." Anath exited her room and wondered who she should visit first.

[Break]

"Retreat!"Anath lips twisted into a devilish smile, '_you'll see hell, Horus._' She promised.

The trap was set. They were too busy to see anything but her. Anath, the bait, was dangling in front of them. _'It is unconventional that I used myself as the bait. It is certainly a strange way of thinking, and definitely not a typical Goa'uld approach to put oneself in danger. And yet I know this is the only way I will win because knowing thy enemies allows one to easily manipulate them.'_

"Now, all I need is to hang on without being captured for 2 hours." Anath muttered to herself, _'the shadow of the asteroid belt would do it nicely as I had calculated.'_

"My Lady, we're in position." Hathor II announced from Peltac control panel and there was slight tremor of fear emitting in the voice.

"Good."

"My Lady, we're sitting ducks like this." Hathor II paused, hesitant to carrying on. "Our forces are outnumbered one-to-four. Are you hoping for the main fleet to arrive?" Hathor II was surprised that Anath chuckled at her query. "But, it would take at least 3 to 4 hours from the Operation Base to get here."

"Seth should have received the message that I was ambushed a few minutes ago. He will know what to do." Anath replied confidently. She noticed the servant and Jaffa within the room was attentively listening to their conversation. They became calmer at her response. Their Lady, Anath, had always led them to victory.

"I'm still not sure why we've only taken two Hataks with us. We would not have gotten into this situation of being outnumbered otherwise. " Hathor II persisted on venting the issue, though she knew it unwise to attacked Anath directly. So she lowered her tone as if she were seeking guidance from her superior, but Anath was not fooled, _'If you're planting doubt on me or my servants then my dear child, I'll see to it that your death is a very painful one.'_

"It's seemly a reconnaissance and surveillance mission. The mission would be impractical if we have a whole fleet trailing us. The mission was meant to be useful for military strategies. I find the reports from the System Lords to be terrible, I wonder what they have been doing in this sector for last decade." The sapphires watched the younger Goa'uld intensively before her eyes twinkled without malice in them. Hathor II took a deep breath, shocked at how deeply the watchful gaze had affected her.

"We're lucky to spot the enemy fleet before we got to close to outrun it. There is no need to be worried child; I'll reimburse your losses when we return." Anath spoke carelessly of the casualties that were expected; she knew Goa'uld do not care what vessels they had lost in battle, they held no attachment toward their slaves or servants only the loss of their power. It rang true in Hathor II case, and she was relaxed once more.

'_We shall see if you have betrayed me Hathor II.' _Anath griped the arm chair once more at the thought of betrayal; however, the likelihood that she may be capture that day never entered to her mind. Anath knew there was a chance that her plan would fail but she has always optimistic and had faith in her strategic moves.

"It had been over an hour, my Lady. Could I please return my quarters? It seems we are well hidden."

"You may leave Hathor." Anath nodded dismissing the Servant Goa'uld. The door closed before she turned to Nina and gave her a nod as well.

"My Lady, shouldn't you have held her here a while longer, a few more minutes would be better." Nina sighed, whispering for her ears alone as none other in the room were foretold.

"I have no reason to do so without looking suspicious. I hate being in such proximity to the traitor as it is. However, I already have a plan for back up with fewer casualties. You've your job to do, Nina." Nina bowed and quickly left the Peltac room.

"Jaffa kree." Anath stood up from her throne.

"Kree hol mel" The Jaffa group's echoes responded, kneeling down, waiting for their order.

"Prepare for an Alkesh." Anath commanded and pointing one of the Jaffa to proceed. She watched the leader take a small group waiting outside, into the hall with him.

Anath turned to the rest, "Mel nok tee!" they were a bit confused at her command. "You'll lead your squadron to the other ship using the transportation-rings; the evacuation is to be done within ten minutes. There should not be anyone on board this ship except for the group which is preparing the Alkesh. I'll announce my next instruction when the time comes."

Anath was alone in the Peltac room when she sauntered away from her throne toward the control panel.

"Destruction sequence completed. 15 minutes to the count down." Anath noted on the panel before leaving the room.

Anath took her time to cross the empty hall; the announcement for destruction should be on alert within a minute and then the count down announcement would start at 10 minutes. She had delayed the alert's broadcast within the ship as her plan still was in the action. Nina should hold the evidence in her hand by now.

Anath opened the door, the scene was expected. Nina had the Zat'nik'tel pointing at Hathor II and her Lotar. Hathor II was glaring at Nina and exchanging unpleasant disputation. Whatever had happened, Anath's appearance in quarter prompted Hathor II to stab her Lotar.

"Die you traitor." Hathor II cried. The blood dripping off the knife as it dropped beside the dead body. The Lotar's brownish eyes were open and there was a hint of bewilderment left behind from her sudden, quick death. Anath did not know the girl's name nor did she care to learn, a worthless end for all traitors.

Anath impassively slithered snake-like across the room like a predator, then she picked up the communication ball device which had rolled on ground after being dropped by the slave, and studied it with great deal of engrossment. "What an interesting device!" Anath sarcastically commented to no one particular.

"My Lady, it seems I have unwisely chosen the wrong Lotar to serve me." Hathor II trembled and her eyes were dashing to Nina.

"Well Nina?"

"When I arrived, Ayde Lotar was communicating with Horus. I told her to give me the device and it was then that Lady Hathor II returned to the room. She commanded me to drop the Zat'nik'tel and became angry at my disobedience." Hathor II was relieved after hearing Nina's testimony of the situation.

"Thank you for your unbiased testimony, Nina." Anath was interrupted by the Count Down for Destruction announcement. Hathor II and Nina widened their eyes as both turning to her at once for instruction.

"You should take your leave now. The launching area is in section D." Anath's palm stopped Hathor II from stepping forward. "Not you, my dear child. Don't be hasty to leave yet. There are still things that need to be cleared up."

Nina bowed and ran out the room, leaving the two goddesses behind her. She knew with her human strength it would take her at least eight minutes to get to section D. She'd have to wait for her master there.

"We're moving." Hathor II stated the obvious, the window screen showing that they have drifted off into space again away from the asteroids belt. The course flight was heading toward the enemies fleet.

"Shouldn't we get going as well?" She was getting nervous as the countdown continued to echo within the ship.

"There is no need to be worried; I should say thank you for killing the slave. I did not want to have my hand dirtied on the little mouse. However, the rat still needs to be executed."

"You can't mean me, my Lady. I swear; I am loyal to you. I, too, am shocked at the slave betrayal."

"Your words are empty, child. Was it not I who took you out of the trash bin and gave you power and position today? And this is how you are repaying me! Did Horus promise you something that I have yet to give you?"

"No, my Lady. I…"

"Lets get straight to the point, shall we? I'm the judge, the jury and the executioner. Your Lotar would never act without given a direct order no matter what you said. The slave is absolutely loyal to their master until it is chosen as host. I had hoped it would have been otherwise, Hathor II. I did have my reservation before I set out on this trip. I see, you're not agreeing with me. Well, let me giving you the final evidence, my dear child. Did you know that these quarters are designed perfectly to keep noise within the chamber? I'm an expert on Goa'uld architecture; it was my hobby so I would certainly know this functional aspect even though others are not aware off it…EVERY WORD SPOKEN IN THIS ROOM WAS HEARD BY YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. Hathor II, you failed me greatly by rushed back inside the room and tried to intimidatie Nina. Your treachery is indicated by your actions. Does it hurt to have to kill your most loyal servant but in the end for nothing?" Anath ridiculed before she caught the younger Goa'uld's body which slumped against her.

"How?" Hathor II fingers wiped the blood off her mouth, she did not see Anath's movement, nor hear the ribbon device fire, only felt the impact hitting her symbiote at the last moment.

"Goodbye child. It is a pity I had once saw you with such sentiment." Anath ignored the question as she swiftly standing up and ready to leave the ship.

"Wait, do you not want to know why…"

"The reason you had betrayed me, Hathor II." Anath completed the statement for younger Goa'uld, "No, I don't care for such trivial matters. Your death will be my answer for those others, to think twice before they contemplate treason in the future."

"My mother, Hathor I, will have the last laugh for I'm not Ra's child but Horus'."

"You're failing to get any sympathy from me child. My alliance with Ra had nothing to do with my biological parents and yours shouldn't either."

Anath knew the time of departure was fast approaching and could delay no further. She snapped the communication device in half with her bare hands. Hathor II was dying and could not verbalize that Anath did not even leave the device untouched. But she never was good at leaving things behind that could by some miracle be undone.

"I'm not sorry to die at your hand, Mother." Anath read Hathor II's lips, her final message as the eyes' glow cut off abruptly. In that moment, Anath's logic told her Hathor II's message was for her biological mother Hathor I, but there was something whispering inside that it had been meant for her.

[Break]

"Arik tree'ac te kek. Aray Kree!" Anath ordered the second Hatak once she boarded the Alkesh.

"Tal shak!" Anath's broadcast the second message through wider channel and knew the enemies' fleet would pick that up and discard the previous message as internal communication before the battle.

"Lek tol!" Abd-al-Karim, the Jaffa leader barked before cutting the communication off quickly and manoeuvring the Alkesh outside the ship, preparing hyper-jump as Lady Anath had instructed. They arrived at the new location and watched the explosive destruction of Hataks, a chain reaction for being too close to her mothership when it obliterated.

"It should take a few of Horus' Hataks as well." Anath sighed, _'I feel a bit irritated but it was a small loss. It is natural to feel this way as that was the first mothership I had ever lost on the battlefield. In the general overview of things, a Hatak is worth more than a thousand Jaffa. However, I feel quite the opposite. And, the bonus is Horus' losses were much greater than mine, at the very least a few thousands Jaffa, included a few Hataks today. I'll make sure a lot more by the end of the day.'_

"Kree! Did you create a smoke signal in the hyperdrive engine room?"

"Yes, my Lady." The Jaffa eyes were confused but he did not dare questioning their goddess.

"My Lady, wouldn't the signal indicate our location? I'm sure there are at least some surviving from that destruction." Nina observed the light had yet faded.

"If there is smoke coming out of the engine room at a distance, what would that indicate to you?"

"Engine is malfunction but..."

"Good. Do you understand why we only hyper-jumped such a short distance?"

"No."

"You'll see soon enough."

"Abd-al-Karim, the route for hyper-jumps and the distance between each jump have been input in the System. You should follow them exactly as instructed. I have faith in you sighting enemies' ships as well as not getting us caught in firing range during this journey."

"Yes, my Lady."

The chase between Horus' remaining Hataks and the Alkesh was like a cat and mouse game. Anath's soldiers became weary as time passed and their ship was nearly annihilated as many times they jumped, escaping only by a hair's breadth. The Alkesh's advantaged over the Hataks was its flexibility and manoeuvrability due to its size. However, there was no hope for the midrange bomber to outrun the mothership.

"My Lady the last coordinate is entered. What should we do now?"

"Nina, you should get into the escape pod."

"What about you and the other servants?"

"We should be alright with the heat, our symbiotes would take a little radiation but you would not."

Nina shut the door when she felt the sudden heat rapidly rising while hearing Anath shouted to Abd-al-Karim, "Hyper-jump, now!"

Time was passed and silence remained like eternity, and Nina began to be afraid that she might be the only one who had survived whatever ordeal that had taken place. Suddenly, the door slid open from the other side and light flushed into the dark pod.

"My Lady." Nina stumbled out, quickly thanking the Jaffa but her eyes fixed only to her master and couldn't help relieved tears swelling in her eyes. Lady Anath was fine, though her complexion was bit under-the-weather while other servants were at worse stages but alive. _'What could have happened for there are no external injuries in sight?'_

Nina looked at the window screen and observed the bright sun was blindingly shining through. There were no other ships in sight in front of the window nor the monitor screen, only the brilliant raging enormous sun.

'_This is the first time and the last that I ever get this close to a sun.' _

"The ship's engines are completely malfunctioning due to the heat we have experienced in just a few minutes. The immediate danger is that we have less than an hour of oxygen and the gravitation of the sun is pulling the Alkesh in as well. However, we are likely to die before that happens." Abd-al-Karim reported firmly to his master. Abd-al-Karim was ready to die and was pleased to witness such a great strategy that had unexpectedly played out.

"We shall be rescued soon." Anath waved the data off, "The other Hatak is already on its way here. I've set the coordinate for automatic hyper-jump to this location before setting one ship on the destruction sequence." Anath's eyes closed and she relived her own moment of triumphant.

"We won." Nina couldn't believe it. She turned to face the crew, seeing the same reflected on their eyes.

"Remoc." Abd-al-Karim spoke softly, as he and the others kneeling before their goddess and worshiping her in silent.

[Break]

The room was a vast and empty space except for a table with two chairs as furniture sitting at the middle of the room. The chairs were occupied by a woman and a man, both were beautiful like sculpted statues. But maybe this impression was the product of their cold expressions.

"What are you thinking…you know, it will be your loss?" She was pointing to the piece on chessboard.

"Hmm...If it makes you happy, you could knock it off the board." The woman companion shrugged indifferently, watching his pawn piece move.

"Too bad, the pawn would reach its goal if you had pleaded, my dear."

"I knew nothing would become of it." He chuckled, "However, I do have a surprise present waiting for Anath." He taken his knight across, eyeing the white queen of his companion and was unconcerned, showing his killer intended at the piece.

"I don't think I'll leave my queen stood there for your amusement." She scowled. "Will she fall for the trap you've set, I wonder."

"No, my dear. Like your scheming, my knight will face death or, at least, injury with this confrontation."

"Then why bother moving it there."

"I'm testing her strength against mine. It has been a while I last saw her."

[Break]

"My Lady, it's good to see you. I feared for the worse." Sekmet strode forward to greet Anath, warmly for a Goa'uld. It would have been a bit unsettling if they have not known each other for many years.

"Did you encounter problems when you took this place?"

"No, everything went smoothly. There were hardly any guards around the facility and Selmak discovered a few experiments Horus had been working on. I think you'll find them of great interest. Horus' keen mind was not overeaten as was the rumour."

"Have you heard news from Seth and the System Lords?"

"Yes, your plans worked out perfectly. After, your message reached the Operation Base regarding the ambush. Seth was ready to go after you as predicted, but I stopped him and replayed your order to him. He had followed it to the letter and wiped out Horus' home base while Horus and his allies' fleets were stuck in the middle of nowhere since they started going after your ship. Like you said, they believed that they would get to you first before our fleet arrived. It would have so if you hadn't ordered Seth to ignore your rescue signal instead of attacking. Horus was unable to returning in time to help his home base as you foresaw...not only that, but word has gotten out that he is still wondering what has happened to his ships that had ambushed you. We did not hear anything regarding the matter either." Sekmet was troubled and had spent better part of the day worrying.

"I'll fill you in later regarding what happened to our reconnaissance and surveillance mission." Anath eyes promised a good tale for tonight's meal and Sekmet was satisfied with that.

"Where is Plah?" for those two were inseparable.

"He is making sure that everything is ready for Horus' arrival."

Anath chuckled wickedly, "Ah, yes. We could not really celebrate while the host is away from his lair right?"

"We only have a few Hataks in the area, should we not send a message for our allies to come here?"

"It would be defeating the purpose, Sekmet. This is Horus' secret base. It could be very valuable for us in the future. besides the fact that we have no need for more power to secure the place. Horus will come here alone to recoup from his miserable failure. He'll not bring an army with him, just a few trusted servants. We've everything we need to capture him and his allies will disengage as soon as I have his head on my silver plate."

Anath laughter was cut off suddenly when she saw a dagger entering her personal sphere. She caught the assassin's hand and broke it. Sekmet was thrown to the side as a result of the forceful movement of their fighting. Anath flicked herself upward, somersaulted in the air and stretched out her hands reaching the opponent's neck as she landed, snapping it slightly to the side; her favourite way to kill in close range battle. She finally pushed the head using the momentum and the body slumped to the ground.

Sekmet was horrified, realising that in just a few consecutive movements Anath had killed a well trained assassin effortlessly. The head was smashed, like porcelain shattering beyond repair, blood and brains were smeared on the marble floor.

"Clean it up!" Selmak barked his order at the servant nearby, who had frozen in place. "I'm sorry, my Lady. It seems I've yet to have the place totally secured." Selmak knelt down before them.

"Help your wife up, Selmak. Take her to rest, she is clearly very distraught at the sight." Anath looked at the piece of trash, "When you're done, I want that thing questioned at the first chance you get. It should be still alive."

The evening came, and the room was quiet besides Nina playing the flute softly in the background. Anath played with the crystal, toying with it before Sekmet could help herself and snatched it off Anath fingers. A slight flush of colouring appeared on her face as she knew she had overstepped her boundaries, "Sorry, Anath but the crystal is not really that special. It was designed to make a tunnel underground. I'm not sure why Selmak was fascinated with it like you are. It's been driving me insane."

Anath shrugged it off, "Your mate understands the value of this knowledge more than you, my dear. However, I find it is not really useful for me unless I happen to have a secret operation that I require to set up in the future and then this toy might prove useful."

Selmak entered the room and coughed to get their attention. "I've been able to learn a few things from the symbiote, my Lady. It called Kali. 'Kali' indicated that she was given a direct order to eliminate you from RA."

Anath was faintly amused and nodded for Selmak to continue. "I, too, found that reason to be unbelievable as the intention of this assassination, but we have yet to enter the second phase of torture, and perhaps then she will spill the beans. However, I found something on the host body which contradicted her identity; it may help in identifying who her master was. The brand belongs to Shiva."

[Break]

The chess players were engrossed in the game; the mood was deadly as the battle came closer to an end.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to remove your knight."

"Be my guest."

"How? I didn't see that." The woman face contorted with malevolence before sighing and accepting the game had come to an official end.

"You should not be careless, my dear. I, too, am sorry, but checkmate!" The man stood up, leaning on his silver cane.

"Where are you going?" His companion fumed with anger, she was expecting them to spend some time together.

"I am preparing for my death of course." He replied joyfully.

"What! Whatever, I'm sure your trap should work out in the end. I'll be waiting for my next game."

"It'll be a while but we shall have all the time in world then." He kissed her forehead and lazily sauntering out the room.

TBC...

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Lek tol


	15. Ch14:One Generation Plants the Trees

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

**AN: **Warning of time travel again. There will be some historical figures (Isocrates, Alexander the Great & Eumenes of Cardia) in the chapter, please bear it in mind this is fan-fiction.

This may help with any confusion.

"…**speech…"**

'…_**thoughts…**_**'**

**Thank you very much Wantsome for beta the chapter. **

**Thanks for reviews and supports **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 14: One Generation Plants the Trees; Another Gets the Shade.**

Diagon Alley was very busy. It was a renowned British Wizarding Hub where the action centred. The assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights were still as fascinating to Harry Potter as when he'd first set foot here. Harry's emerald eyes widened as he as he was thoroughly engrossed by his surroundings which clearly amused Anath 'The Merciful' greatly. They finally reached their destination but Harry was undecided if this is wise move. He stood outside the old shop for quite some time, contemplating whether he should enter and make himself acquainted with a new-found family member. _'Distant, maybe, but family nevertheless. Sirius does not count since he's my godfather.' _

The shop was exactly as he remembered from when he had bought his first wand. The shop was small compared to neighbouring businesses, with only a wand laid on faded purple cushion inside the dusty window. It was probably there as a reminder to any witch or wizard passing that this is the oldest shop in the Wizarding World, since 382 B.C.

Harry closed his eyes, following his Gryffindor impulsiveness, and pushed open the creaking door. The single spindly chair was still in place at the corner, along with thousands boxes that were piled up to the ceiling and almost filling up the tiny shop.

"Ah, Mr. Potter! What a pleasant surprise to see you again! I read in the Daily Prophet that you're going to participate in the Goblet of Fire. I'm sure you'll do fine." Mr. Ollivander spoke as he silently moved out of the shadow, though Harry had already felt where the older man had stood when he entered the shop.

"I'm afraid I've cancelled that particular contract with the Goblins today. It should be made into tomorrow's headlines, Mr. Ollivander." Harry tones dripped with cynicism.

"That is unfortunate indeed. What can I do for you today, Mr. Potter?" Mr. Ollivander enquired pleasantly. He didn't sound disappointed at the news but rather his eyes glinted in the dim light.

Harry found Mr. Ollivander was a strange wizard, the old man spoke to him as if he had only seen Harry yesterday. He hadn't enquired about where Harry had disappeared for the last year or so. Harry handed the Heritage Test document over to the old man nervously. Of all reactions, the relief and contentment that washed over Mr. Ollivander usually composed face was least expected.

"It seems the long wait for my successor from Potter line is finally over." Harry was flabbergasted and reconfirmed to himself that Ollivander, the creepy old wizard, was only one of their kind. '_Yeah, I knew it. He did give me that abnormal impression when we first met.'_

"It was foretold that a Potter will succeed to the House of Ollivander when our line comes to an end. This particular Potter would only know his relative as Mr. Ollivander and that is why we have a tradition that we should not to reveal our first name to anyone." Mr. Ollivander mused aloud as he opened the door before inviting the boy to follow him.

"Uhh…that is very interesting...what's your name, Mr. Ollivander or Lord Ollivander?"

"Didn't I just tell you? You'll only know me as Mr. Ollivander. Anyhow, Lord Ollivander is a title; it is used only when I attend the Wizengamot or perhaps at the Pureblood functions. It seems you have also inherited a few titles, Mr. Potter, didn't the Goblin give you some books to help you to have a better understanding of your obligations and etiquette as the Head of Noble Houses?"

"I haven't had a chance to read them yet...sorry but since we've become family, could you please give me your name?" Harry was very intriguing about Ollivander's first name. He knew it was rude to probe but his curiosity got better of him.

"This may not be a prophecy Mr. Potter but we still need to follow the story precisely." Mr. Ollivander sighed exaggeratedly, "Of course, there is one prophecy concerning you which is being held at the Ministry Office. If you should be interested in it, I recommend checking it out sometime in the future. However, we're here to fulfil a self-prophecy for you, I dare say." He smiled, though it did not reach his blue eyes as they watched the younger wizard intently.

"Our forefather, the first Ollivander, passed down the message for generations that, one day, a Potter, successor to our line would come to see the last Ollivander and claim his inheritance."

"I didn't come to claim anything, Mr. Ollivander. I'm here because you're family." Harry couldn't help feeling offended at Mr. Ollivander insinuation.

The older wizard laughed, "You've no need to feel insulted. I actually give back what was belongs to you, Mr. Potter. You'll understand soon enough."

The narrow hallway came to an end and the doorway opened showing a light green and white room. The decoration gave the room a sense of serenity, helping Harry to calm down as Mr. Ollivander pointed to a chair before taking the one opposite to his guest. When Harry sat down, he saw a pot of tea magically appear with a dish of cookies beside it without Mr. Ollivander using any magic.

"Here, Mr. Potter, have a sip and some cookies. It has been a while, probably forty years or more since someone has joined me for a cup of tea. Drink up Mr. Potter...we have all day for our little chat...after all it has taken nearly to the end of my life to see you so just a few more minutes won't make a difference. Well, I had always pictured myself saying something astounding when the time came...oh, never-mind."

Harry was confused by the conversation. Mr. Ollivander was not acting like himself, a creepy old wizard, but rather like a very old Muggle, who had lost their cohesive thoughts. _'Should I make an excuse to leave and come back...?'_ However, the thought was cut off when older wizard continuing his rambled, "The story was told by my father on his deathbed and his father before him and so on...perhaps it has become sort of a legend to the House of Ollivander, Mr. Potter."

"Ehmmm, please call me Harry." Harry offered as he sat up straighter and more attentively listened to the old wizard even if he would learn nothing of great importance from this conversation. He felt tingling of happiness since this was the first ever family talk he had had and it had come so unexpectedly. Harry felt that first name basis was appropriate since he would be sharing in a family secret.

"I'm happy to call you Harry." Mr. Ollivander beamed at him but did not offer his name, though Harry had expected that from their earlier conversation. "Well...our forefather, the first Ollivander was known as Isocrates. I believed he is very renowned as Muggle World Philosopher. Isocrates was one of the few wizards at the time living a double life. Of course, that was not important or the fact he was the first entrepreneur wand maker is of consequence as to the secret he was foretold on his deathbed. Isocrates told his son, Theodor that in his late years he had came across and befriended a young man, a future descendant of his daughter, Margaret with whom his wife was pregnant at the time. It was a rare offspring even among wizard standards for Isocrates had already celebrated his 100 birthday. Isocrates was sceptical but a good friend of his had vouched for the boy."

Harry would have laughed but he could see Mr. Ollivander was being quite serious; he gulped and asked, "You're sure that Isocrates meant me, Harry Potter? I don't think time-travel is even possible."

Harry heard coughing snickers from Anath and, without realising it, he made a gobsmacked face, _'It's possible, I'll be damned.'_

"I think you've an idea how to do so, right?" the older wizard latched onto Harry when he saw the boy's expression. His blue eyes shone brighter, making Harry feel the old man must have an unhealthy obsession with time-travel.

"I'm not sure but please go on."

Mr. Ollivander looked disappointed but continued, "Hmmm. Isocrates gave Theodor his final requested; to have the story passed down the generations by word of mouth. It was something like _"I'm looking forward to meet you"_ and it's very important that you find him as self-fulfilment of your life journey." Ollivander took a box out of his pocket and gave it to Harry. The box was tattered and very old just like the shop itself, "This is your inheritance."

"Thank you!" Harry accepted the box gracefully and opened it. His eyes darken with recognition at the object laying there.

"You know what the key is for?"

"No!" Harry shook his head, his hand glossed over the crystal key, exactly the same shape as the one found in the Chamber of Secret in Hogwarts. However, the crystal was hot pink in colour instead of the greenish key he had owned from Salazar.

"But, I owned another similar one." Harry smiled and knew whatever Mr. Ollivander told him today would eventually happen. _'Nothing is ever coincidence with me.'_

Anath replied mockingly to his grumble, _'Yeah, Harry, the world revolves around you.'_

"Good. Isocrates said that you'd recognise the key as it is yours."

"Did he say anything else?"

"I'm afraid not, Harry; just that you'd be from the Potter line and I'm the last of Ollivander. I thought it was your father; it was about the time when I had lost both my wife and son. I knew I would never remarry so I'd be the last Ollivander. Then you were born…And I began to be afraid I'd be unable to fulfil my forefather's request. I can find rest now." Mr. Ollivander looked like he had added a few extra years to his appearance when the story ended. The thought that the old man was going to die saddened Harry's heart.

"I'm sorry. Even though I just met you, Mr. Ollivander, I don't have any other relative - well one that's fond of me, anyway…I know this sounds selfish but please don't plan to die soon, OK?"

The older wizard cracked up and bent over to tousle Harry's hair like once he did with his son, "No, Harry. I'm waiting for you to come back after seeing Isocrates and tell me the whole story... like you're wondering now; it is an unsolved mystery and has been for years. The House of Ollivander has been waiting every generation for you to come to their life and we'll be here when you return."

Harry was immediately seized by the family paintings; they all talked to him at once. It seems they had been waiting patiently for Mr. Ollivander to finish his tale and now it was their turn to get to know him.

Harry blushed at the scrutiny and personal questions but was happy to be getting along with his distant relatives even though they were no longer living, but portraits of their reminiscences. It was quite late into the afternoon when Harry decided Sirius would begin to cause trouble if he did not see his godson home soon so Harry took his leave.

"Thank you again, Mr. Ollivander."

"You'll always welcome to see me, Harry." Mr. Ollivander gave the boy a hug before letting him out of his shop. The warmth was still wrapping around his heart as Harry apparated home.

[Break]

The sunset was beautiful. The same as the last time she was here but the view was less appealing. Anath kept glancing over to see her old body, inside the pod. It was a painful sight. The reality was harsh.

"Anath!"

Anath ignored Harry Potter's intrusion into her private moment. _'Why did I agree to take him back, it got nothing to do with me. Curious kill a cat.'_ She sighed.

"If you do not shut up, Harry...this ship will be unlikely go anywhere soon." Anath threatened her host, "Let me not remind you again about the consequences of failing the time-jump. You'll have to wait for many days, months, years. I'm not even sure if we can get close to the date you have suggested and if it is even a feasible option. The technology was not studied in-depth by my people because I was in haste to return to this time."

"Sorry but that's your body..." Harry felt sudden burst of headache assaulting him, "ALRIGHT! I just wondered why we couldn't bring Sirius."

"... #$ %..." Harry fell silent when Anath swore at him.

'_Finally!'_ Anath shuddered and wondering why she was stuck with a child host.

"I heard that!" Harry yelled childishly before retreating back inside the mindscape.

Their little journey through time was quite a trip, Harry was disappointed when nothing happened besides arriving at the new place without incident. _'It's No worse than going to the shop for milk.' _

Harry grumbled at utterly boring journey and found his mind settling on their little conversation; it was one of their numerous quarrels lately, some were over nothing. Harry concluded that he was getting too comfortable with Anath. His behaviour had been outrageously childish and Anath had allowed him it as a way relieving himself, though on occasion she retaliated with an extreme migraine when his antagonising became personal.

They had arrived in Babylon 323 B.C. which was the coordinate and time that Mr. Ollivander had given to Harry. Isocrates had officially died in the Muggle World fifteen years before when Greece had lost its independence after the Battle of Chaeronea. Muggle History recorded that Isocrates, in despair, had starved himself to death.

[Break]

Isocrates strode down the street in a leisurely fashion. The northern market was located a few corner turnings on his right but he did not have the time to venture there. The appointment had been set for three minutes ago and he hated to be late but it could not be helped this time. Babylon was one of the few cities that had a barrier for wizardry. It had been set up to detect when magic was triggered in vicinity. There was a great shift in the political trend lately regarding Wizard-Muggle interaction, zero tolerance for exposure. It maybe was the reason why an old friend had requested the meeting here, where the assassination was likely to take place. There was little doubt the assassination would happen because of the general outcry from the Wizarding community; for them this was not murder but the execution of traitor. The outrageous fact was that one of their kind was trying to unify Muggles and Wizards and in turn was exposing their world to the Muggles.

The Wizard Council was likely to pass the new law while he was away; he was one of the very few that stood against the complete separation between two worlds. Isocrates felt that Muggles were not their inferior brethren and one day they would likely rise up and stand equal to Wizards by other means of power besides magic. Well, there were those who believed in the possibility but rather negatively, and therefore thought Muggles should be controlled because of the danger they may hold in the future. The Wizards had been divided in their opinions regarding their neighbours but the threat of a unified Muggle world and exposure to Muggles had recently become a possible reality in the mind of one single man.

Isocrates loved both worlds, this due to the fact that Heduto, his mother, was a Witch and Theodorus, his father, was a Muggle; however, he devoted his life to the Muggle world for he felt that the Muggles needed him more. Isocrates had hoped his work would mould Muggle opinion and direct political action. He had done much without going over line that was drawn by the Wizard laws. In the end, he was very bitter when he was unable to help his beloved country. The Muggles loved war and domination too much thus very few students of his has taken his lesson to heart. Disheartened he'd decided to leave behind his life as a Muggle and that now was the time to do so without being suspicious, since he was approaching his hundredth birthday which was odd when a Muggle's life span average was around 50 odd years.

Isocrates started travelling around the world in search for magical items to develop more powerful wand cores. He wanted to create a specific wand for a wizards' saviour foretold through a prophecy. Isocrates had not expected to find pleasure in refocusing on his side business which he had opened in Isle of Man in the year 382 B.C. when he was fifty-four years old. He had always foremost been interested in teaching and leaving the tiny wand shop to the management of his son, Theodor Ollivander.

'_Well, my teaching days are over since wizards do not attend schools like Muggles do. They always hide their knowledge and only teach their family members. Wouldn't it be nice if we have a school ourselves?"_

Isocrates thought back on his accomplishments in the Wizarding world that had earned him a position on the Wizard Council. Their world was small and fragile and had only recently begun coming together.

'_The school idea is out of question; sure, they came together as a community; but it would take a few hundred years before one could be opened.'_

Isocrates had no doubt that, although his development of many different wands, which, helped Wizards to have maximum control over their magic and this, was leading the community forward to become stronger but it would not change their attitudes overnight.

Isocrates was not really happy with the types of wand he had created so far. The wand he created was not a perfect one, a wand that was a match for all and for the strongest of all. Although, he had promoted "_the wand chooses the wizard_", in reality, he actually produced many types that were generic and compatible to many different Wizards abilities and skills. The research of the wand's properties was done in early years with a close friend, the very one Isocrates was visiting today. The man was brilliant and Isocrates had found it hard to keep up during the time they were together. Then the research had been completed and his good friend disappeared as well.

Isocrates was the one left behind and began to put their theory of using magical properties of certain items to enhance their magic in reality. The wand shop was opened much later when he had created a few hundred different types for the Wizard community. Ollivander's shop was flushed with customers and the common standard wand that had been used since Wizards had come into existence had gathered dust since then. Isocrates looked forward to see his old friend after many years of separation. He looked down his pocket where he kept a present for his friend; the Goblins' contract that he had brought with him to offer his friend, _'50% earning from Ollivander business is a fair deal'_, he smiled.

[Break]

Harry shook his head and strode off quickly to get ridded of the silk fabrics owner, who had tried to sell his wares; it was Harry fault touching the fabric because the unusual pattern caught his eye. Anath watched the scene unfold without warning the poor boy. And Harry became prey, trapped and ensnared by the merchant. He barely managed to squeeze a few words into the conversation as the bargaining went along without him. Harry was lost, unable protest, and finally decided to take his leave before any damage could be done…such as being forced to purchase the item when he did not even have money on him. Anath sighed, _'I had hoped he could have done it better, at least enjoy the bargaining challenge, but the boy is still green.'_

Harry came abruptly to a halt and traced his thoughts back over the time since they had entered the city. Surprisingly he understood the man and everyone around them perfectly just like Paseltongue. _'Why? I'm sure this nothing to do with Voldemort. We've walked around forever and not been lost once as if…'_

"You used to live here." Harry exclaimed positively, and picked up the pace when he noticed other merchants watching him closely. Once again they wandered through the busy vibrant market street. _'Anath leads me around this old city like it was her playground.' _

"Hn."

"It's very impressive; I checked the history before we left but wow…" Harry stood dumbfounded and stared at the tall buildings. How could such feats of engineering be accomplished without modern technology? Harry frowned; it seemed Anath's people were far more advanced than the Muggles even in his time.

Harry's awe of the city reminded her of the good times and Anath felt it was time to educate her host a bit more about herself, "You're correct. This city was once conquered by me. I did contribute in completing the city but I believe An had already had some buildings constructed before I killed him. However, the city is not the same as once was. I believe the Tau'ri have fixed it as best as they could, it was not is as glorious as once upon a time when we ruled this place."

"We?"

"Yes, my twin brother, Baal, and I."

"Baal? I don't think there was ever a King called Baal. " Harry felt uneasy at the name; '_Baal was also means as Lord_.' He'd heard it before while reading about Babylon.

Anath chuckled hard, "You're correct, I think you skimmed over religion part at some point." She reminded him.

"God Baal! Then you're Anat, the Merciful!"

"Anat or Anath is my name; the pronunciation depends on the dialect. I think there should be a temple somewhere near the centre of city that is dedicated to me, it may have been destroyed."

"A goddess?" Harry could not get his mind around this fact.

"Not exactly, though there have been times I have been called that. Baal and I united and ruled over Canaan for many years." Anath said wistfully and surveyed her once-domain on Terra. Here she had stood upon the soil she had fought for and won by blood, but the present Tau'ri did not recognise her. The world had moved on without them. Anath felt that the title they had installed for themselves was not right one. '_A true god would not be forgotten by his people,'_ and knew it was time for her to let go of the past. _'Anyway, I had not seen myself as a child of the gods for a very long time.'_ Anath smiled and finally truly thought that whatever bitterness she harboured from her exile was gone, _'it is good to be home again, should I visit my birth place before we leave here?'_

Anath indulged Harry with the history behind of some buildings as they passed, recalling entertaining stories that took place thousands of years ago when the Tau'ri were ruled under Goa'uld. Of course she edited out the minor details of the blood and gore that the Tau'ri were treated with. In truth she was rarely the one who punished the Tau'ri, and torture was Baal's department but kill them she did. She was merciless with traitors and even less tolerant of those who disobeyed her. Anath barely remembered any of her slaves since she never interacted with them, except her personal attendants whom she treated well.

They both were too pre-occupied to notice that they had been followed for some time. It looked like they were not the only one who were able to travel through time.

TBC...

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Sorry for cliff hanger. The chapter is getting too long so I thought to break it up.


	16. Ch14b:Another Gets the Shade

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

**AN: **There will be some historical figures (Isocrates, Alexander the Great & Eumenes of Cardia) in the chapter, please bear it in mind this is fan-fiction.

This may help with the confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…**_thoughts…_'**

**Thank you very much Wantsome for beta the chapter.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports: ILikeComps, LesyChan, Lexi0521, EP, arturus, Immortalis Cruor Elf, Kaylen Cooper, fraewyn, GenoBeast and anyone I'd forgot to type here.**

Sorry for long delay upload this chapter. It was beta-ed last year but I was busy and days become months…

It is amazing that the story is continued to be read over the year. Thank again for your supports.

**Chapter 14b: One Generation Plants the Trees; Another Gets the Shade.**

[Approximately an hour ago]

The palace of Nebuchadnezzar II was quiet. This was unusual as all six hundred rooms were fully occupied. The source of the problem was that the King hadn't arrived in the Throne Room and this could only mean trouble. The occupants - nobles, generals and the like - were worried. They had locked themselves inside their chambers, and some feared for their heads given the King's mood lately. One could still hear the echoes of '_off with their heads!_' from recent events. Well, the King was not an unreasonable person but some of them had been stepping out of line and the King was known for his stringent nature. The nobles' and generals' attendants were waiting patiently outside the hall, hoping for a sign of the King to report back to their masters. Everyone was on tiptoes and their foremost thoughts were: '_Where is he? Why hasn't he received his guests today?_' and so forth.

No matter how anxious they were feeling, no one dared to find the King or even considered looking for the King's quarters as they were well hidden within the palace. The palace of Nebuchadnezzar II was like a giant maze but an artistic one. The ceramic bricks of the inner palace were a colourful mixture of deep blue and green instead of plain sandy-brown on the outside walls. All the inner quarters were built with layer of tiles depicted animals and were impressively laid out. It was a pity that the imposing palace was only renowned for its magnificent size.

Two sentries stood adjacent to a door of the largest chamber. They were relaxed in their postures but alert at the same time. They were not expecting an attack from within these walls but duty required their vigilance and of course they took their job seriously. These guards were of the few that had ever set foot in this hall other than the King and Queen and their personal attendants. The guards tried not to show their fragile stage but it had been a long night and they were ready to be relieved of their duty.

They had briefly glanced at the door once in a while to see whether the King would leave the chamber soon for the sun had risen high for some time ago. It was unlike him to sleep this long. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash and were already rushing towards the door when a rumble called out from the other side, "IT'S ALRIGHT! Stand your ground." They immediately returned to their post. Whatever had happened inside, the King didn't want them to be in there. It was probably some artefact that had fallen to the floor, they concluded. It had happened before especially when Alexander the Great was very angry.

"ARE YOU SATISFIED?" Alexander rubbed his red cheek and his bluish eyes flared with anger for no one had touched his face since he was at a tender age and training to become a soldier. Alexander stomped deeper into the chamber and stood before his guest who waiting in the lounge lazily, surrounded by broken vats and artefact treasures that Alexander had collected. '_This was the first time my place got trashed without my helping_.' Alexander eyes twisted and his face was appalled when he saw the other man dangling his priceless elephant gem, taken from an India expedition, ready to be tipped over the man fingers.

"NO, I warned you." The other man sneered. He was older than Alexander, probably by a few years from his appearance but his eyes seemed wiser a hundred years, not just a decade. There was nothing of exceptional resemblance between the two men but their messy hair which seemed to have a life of its own, "Your death has been assured by the end of this month."

"Don't I know it!" Alexander spat, sat down and quickly snatched the elephant off the older man before he could attempt to smash the gem.

Alexander continued guardedly, "I realised it as soon as I hear of Hephaestion's death and then Roxanne fell pregnant. Though I had not expected it would be within the same year." He paused as his eyes darkened and glared at his companion who had kept that tiny bit information from him, "You told me I would not see my son's birth. Not to mention the doubly shocking news when Hephaestion promised that he'd watch over my son in my stead that you blurted out he was a goner too. His death was an **omen**of my own death… I WAS INSANE for a while."

"Well don't blame me, Alex. It wouldn't have happened if you had heeded my warning. What I told you that day, naught changed. Your path is still concrete like the day I walked into your life. What could you possibly be thinking? Oh yeah, something like '_I am The Great Alexander, I could changed the future to my liking'_." The older man ridiculed Alexander in a way no other would dare.

"How could you expect me turn down a glorious life and to live a long but mundane life?"

"I expected better of my descendant." The older man scowled, a staring contest ensued for a while before the younger man admitted defeated but rolled his eyes childishly.

"WHATEVER! All is not yet lost. Our line will be sure to be continue if all goes well. I'm sure that's all you care for." Alexander sulked, "Roxanne will be entering labour in the next few days. I have carefully arranged to have the baby taken out of the palace and to hide the child with Eumenes."

The older man was astounded at this information, "I was sure the history records showed that she gave birth about three months from now."

Alexander replied with devilishly grin, "Thanks to you, I announced her pregnancy two months later when she actually into her fifth month. The little queen was small and it was easy to hide her growing belly. I kept her away from the public, stating that I feared for her health. Of course, there will be a child replaced for Alexander IV Aegus."

Alexander's gloating got cut off immediately by his companion. "That is very cruel Alex! That child would surely be killed in your son's place." The older man chided but his weary heart knew that it must happen to ensure their line to continue. He knew he would not able to make Alexander change his mind, even after he had told the boy of his death it had not altered the lad's decision once it was set. It was useless to contemplate rescuing the victim when he was not even aware where the child was kept. It was probably the child of some unfortunate slave who had fallen pregnant.

Alexander waved his hand carelessly, forgetting who he was speaking to while picked up the wine glass, "He'll live a life of a prince before he's slaughtered, better than…" Alexander gulped the wine and trailed off when he saw the older man was ready to smack his face again.

"I only hope your son will not inherit your coldness and temperament. Eumenes, he's from Cardia, right? A good and worthy man you have there but he'll be betrayed by his men."

"Poor sod, should I warn him? Ah! Now my plan is wrecked, there are only a few that I trust with my son's life." Alexander whined but his eyes were shining and those that knew him they would presume that he'd already start improvising another arrangement.

"Why not hand the child over to me?" the older man interrupted Alexander's train of thought, "I've someone in mind that will raise the child properly. The man has a good position in the Wizarding World; I've plans to meet him later before going home."

"Are you sure that would be wise? They're out for my blood and no doubt are the ones that lead the assassination." Alexander sneered and sudden felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I have no doubt they had every reason to do so since you continue to make a mockery of their laws. Your conquering plans are exposing their world, it is not helping either." The older man frowned. He did not want the lad to be killed. Alexander was charismatic and a great King though quite ruthless.

"They're fools to go on hiding, just like Father, who came from a squib line. He too has felt very bitter towards the magical world. But he was a coward and was bullied by them. While Mother was a seer but a Muggleborn* that not fitted into that society either. What they expected me to do?" Alexander scorned," They fear me and that made me very happy...doing what I want. Why should I let them dictating my live? Have I not success gathered magical artefacts and treasures as I conquered the world? They scorned at mine ambition but deep down they wanted my treasures and power. I hate them...They going to murder me just because they knew my empire wills soon swallowing their own."

Alexander was breaking down. He knew what his future would hold and it was not pleasant to know his death could not be prevented. And he hadn't expected that talking about his impending death could affect him this much. He felt weak and powerless for the first time in his life. To be so broken down was impossible for a man like Alexander; he was very strong both in appearance and character. He hated to be seen as a weakling, even in the presence of his family. So Alexander spun around, trying to hide his emotion, but not quickly enough, for a hand gently patted his shoulder.

"I blame this on your Mother. She said you're the Chosen One, didn't she? She was hopeful it was you. But you're the not the one, I'm sorry. Do not be bitter son. I had hoped that our talk would steer you to another path but..." Alexander's companion tried to comfort him, but it seemed the words did not reach Alexander. The older man decided to impart more knowledge upon seeing the lad's frustrated face. "There will be one in the distance future, from our line. No," the older man shook his head to Alexander's unvoiced question, "As much as I want too, I was forbidden to travel that far into the future. They feared that I would interfere with the prophecy. I was only allowed to come here because your life is at a crossroads which could lead to the destruction of that prediction path. There is also…" The older man stopped suddenly as if someone had just communicated with him.

'_Even though they were long gone, they're still a demanding bunch, the Council_.' The man gritted his teeth but complied with the unspoken request.

"I'd better to be on my way now, Alex. I'll see you later. One last thing, give me a signal once your son is born. My dear friend, your future son's godfather is likely already at the meeting place."

"Should I meet him too?" the older man raised his eyebrows at Alexander's request, "It was worth a try anyway." Alexander laughed drily but his tone turned deathly, "I will still be meeting the man before I hand over my son."

The older man hadn't expected Alexander to give up his son so easily; "Fine!" he agreed and disappeared as soon as he replied.

[Break]

The man reappeared some distance away from the palace to find himself in the busy market place. The given coordinates were near the inn where the meeting was to be held. '_I hope this would not take long_.' He scowled.

The man had not travelled there by port key, or appearated. His teleportation definitely had nothing to do with magic. Istead he'd beamed himself from one place to another, used Alteran's technology. His name was Janus, an Alteran scientist, and recently he had become the fourth High Council member. Janus found it was very hard obeying the Alteran's laws, '_what was relevant yesterday does not mean it would be today_,' and he often bent them when he considered it necessary for Alterans' survival. '_Travelling forward in time is one of them. Meddling with the past is dangerous but meddling with the future is a on an entirely different level._' Fortunately, he had the backing of the younger generation.

It was much easier to influenced younger generation because the older High Councillors had become reclusive and lost themselves in their meditation. The older High Councillors felt very tired after being beaten by the Wraiths' War. They had saved only around 1 percent of Alteran, a huge blow for them. The hope of rebuilding their great empire in Avalon (Milky Way) now seemed an impractical dream when arrived back to Terra. The planet's conditions had become harder to survive and it had been populated by the native humans. The High Councillors felt the natives had evolved to the point at which their code of honour made it impossible for them to interfere the natives' development.

The Alterans were divided into two groups. One headed off into space trying to rebuild what was left of their empire. The other stayed and recuperated, integrating with the native humans to increase their population. Since they weren't interfering with the natives, those who lived on Terra were forced to use the bare minimum of Alteran's technology to survive.

It was a disastrous decision they had made. Janus learned of the crisis as soon as he rebuilt his second "Puddle Time Jumper". Though Janus tried to change the course of history, he was stopped by the Ascendant beings. He remembered it clearly like it was yesterday. Great white lights had appeared before him and an endless mist surrounded him, obscuring his vision. The white mist is the Ascendants. It seemed that the Ascendants were the Alterans and they were satisfied with history's current path. He recognised them immediately, especially the Councillors. They chided him for rebuilding another time machine when he had been specifically ordered to destroy his invention. They told him that most of them were ascending like they had always sought to do, and the rest were quite happy in their mundane lives with the native humans.

Janus's raged and he lashed out at them; "How could you be so selfish?" Janus was hurt and he felt deep sorrow at their betrayal.

"You do not understand, Janus. At the time in which we ascended this was the best choice for all," Mos (Merlin) tried to justify it all but Janus turned away and shut the older Councillor out.

"I would never accept any of your reasons." Janus swore. "It's like Pegasus all over again." he cried. And, in his distress, Janus was lost in the memories of many loved ones that had faced horrible deaths because he had been unable intervene. Janus was embittered and his mind was concerned for the future generations, the descendants that were living with the native humans. His thoughts filled the mists and the Ascendants remembered. Some of them tried to free themselves from the painful memories that were locked inside them but found it impossible as they were bombarded with Janus' mindset: '_What sort of life will they have, forgetting their own heritage? How can the Council possibly be considering failing these people? What about the promise to return to Pegasus? What about the sacrifice of those we had to leave behind? Most of all, what would become of our Alteran Empire?'_

The Ascendants felt their power slipping as guilt gripped them.

Oma, the oldest Alteran was the only one able to break free of the guilt, for she had done much over time, influencing the progress of remaining Alterans without the other's detection. Oma touched Janus' consciousness and whispered; "I agree Janus, wake up. You're not helping anyone when you lose yourself in your own grief."

It was then that she told him of one foreseen path, the one that he was looking for. "I see a path Janus. A descendant of yours will liberate the remaining Alterans. This path has many branches but you'll able to set it in the right direction. I would like to help you Janus, but I am restricted by my oath. I must have the consensus of the others to do this and the Ascendants will not all agree to the plan. However, if you are able to get the Councillors of your time to accept this decision, I'll be able to help you and give you the timelines that you must visits. In doing so and you will be able to ensure the chances are increased in your favour."

Janus returned home shouldered with the burden of Alteran's future and started gaining approval to be the next candidate for High Councillor. The period and opinions at the times were in his favour, and he won the election. Janus replaced Melia, who had made a few mistakes during the war with the Wraith which had resulted in the loss of many thousands of lives. Janus proceeded with his project immediately but when he obtained the High Council's powers and he nearly lost his seat doing what he believed was right. It was an unbelievable victory at the last minute. The older High Councillors had all voted for him, some changed their decisions overnight. Oma visited his dream that night for she'd left a hidden message within his brain that could be triggered once the Councils had approved the plan.

Janus first went to Athens and befriended Isocrates. He was surprised that the remaining Alterans had evolved again and separated themselves from the natives. Their descendants found it was easier to access their power. And they called it magic. However, they had completely lost their scientific heritage. Janus concluded that the evolution had taken another path and a step forward to ascension but in using their power and becoming dependant on magic, they had prevented themselves from understanding the world around them through a scientific outlook and thus limited themselves to almost as primitive a state as the natives. He was afraid that, in time, their fates may be much like the Ori fraction. But what Oma foretold give him hope. After he studied with Isocrates and combined his scientific knowledge with the process, they had created better, more suitable wands. He then took a second trip to see Alexander, when the lad was thirteen and getting to bond with his heir. This would be his last jump.

It was unbelievable that Gonos Lal (Morgan le Fay), known as a law endorser, had contacted him instead of Oma. She told him to come here immediately as if whatever event that was supposed to happen was very important to this excursion. His light blue eyes watched the area carefully but he couldn't detect anything out of ordinary. He ruffled his sandy hair and started to feel frustration.

'_Why it was always like this? Whenever Alex needs me, I am called away. If I could just talk to him, maybe we could come up with other solutions_.'

Luckily, he was spared from being approached by the nearby merchants. Well, it helped that they felt a negative force emitting off him.

Janus was about to give up. '_Damn, I'll be late_.' Suddenly, the distress signal from his scanner's sensor began to peep, alerting him to the presence of an enemy, when a teenaged boy passing him. He stopped himself in time from reaching out to capture the boy.

Janus mind raced at the implication of the signal, '_The boy is a host_.' He was not sure what to do but hurriedly followed the boy, '_what on Earth is going on here… Goa'uld were supposed to have left Terra at least three thousand years ago._'

Janus was relieved that he didn't act upon his instinct after having studied the boy closely. The boy baffled him. His behaviour was not Goa'uld like, nor did he resemble the To'kra resistants. The boy was acting very much like a human. Janus knew his censor was correct and did not once doubt the boy was a host. Especially since his observation showed clearly that the boy was communicating with someone telepathically the entire time they strode through the street, '_that implies they are on equal footing at least_.'

Janus decided it was time he should approaching the boy, but first he needed to scan the area to ensure if there were no other aliens and determine the likelihood of this being a trap that was set up for him. It was mindboggling when the scan pointed out the boy as an Alteran with a parasite Goa'uld living in him. Janus knew this was practically impossible. Both identities could not coexist in the same body, for the Alteran immune system would automatically detect parasites or viruses and destroy them, sometimes with the help of vaccination. Thus Alterans never fell ill. Their kind was unique, they operated at either 100 percent optimum health or they died because their life force would automatically shut down, just like the last virus attack which had almost wiped out their civilisation. Luckily they had found the cure in the Pegasus galaxy.

[Break]

The boy in question was known as the 'Boy-Who-Lived', that should explain why he could survive anything.

Harry Potter had had a wonderful day. It was the first time Anath had truly acquainted him with her past. It had unexpectedly given Harry an insight into her feelings that she'd carefully avoid. "What did you do?" Harry asked excitedly and Anath treated him with the memories of how she had killed An, her triumph over Babylon's powerful god. The intangible feeling of accomplishment touched Harry's own and made him to feel the need to experience the deed.

"Cool!" Harry spun around trying to repeat the movements, imagining he'd just slashed an enemy's throat but in reality he had crashed into an old man. The impact of the collision resulted in both stumbling down. The problem was neither had seen the other as they were at an intersection. Since Harry was trying to defy gravity with his moves, he was the one who landed most heavily.

"Are you alright lad?" the old man helped the boy up.

"I'm fine and you, sir?"

"I'm fine too, it's my fault. I was in a rushed to a meeting"

"No, I think it was mine..." Harry didn't know how to explain what had happened. However, his attention was drawn to an object that flashed into his line of sight while the old man was dusting off his clothes. The old man had accidentally revealing his wand. "You're a wizard, sir?" Harry grasped the wizard hand automatically shaking it happily. Harry was so glad that this misfortune had brought him to meet one. "Do you know where I could find the Wizarding Community around here? I've been searching the entrance for some time, wandering around the city…Is it close by, sir?" Harry fervent questioning had left the old wizard breathless while he tried to recover from the fall. The old wizard's features contorted with many expressions until finally he composed himself and pointed at Harry. The teenager was left to flush as Harry realised that he had yet to introduce himself, "Sorry, I'm a traveller…"

The old wizard sighed and knew he should do the talking as the boy was apparently too hyperactive and not quite right in the head. "I take it you're a wizard as well, lad. I just arrived here, myself. It's good to see a young man out exploring the world. If you walk another block, there is an inn called the 'Phoenix Inn.' It is the entrance to the Babylon Wizarding Community. I'm actually heading there now. Why don't we walk there together if you have no other appointment?"

"Thank you, sir. I would like to tag along."

"My name is Isocrates and my family are the Ollivanders." The old man beamed at the teen, waited for his introducing but the lad had just frozen before him.

"I…ummm…I…"

"I think you must have had hit your head, lad. We should enquire if a healer is available at the inn." Isocrates concluded and pulled the teen, who had yet to snap out of his bewilderment, along with him.

By the time they arrived at the inn, Harry had recovered. But he was not sure how to approach the man. 'Yeah, I knew I'd forget something alright.' Harry sighed.

"It seems the healer is out of town at the moment. What a primitive city! They should build a hospital." Isocrates scowled and sat down.

"I'm afraid our community are mostly elderly; the youngsters don't like it here. There were no jobs available in this city. Most have moved and congregated in Rome, Athens and Britain." The barman replied. He didn't seem to be offended at hearing Isocrates' offensive remark and put down the drink, "There used to be a hospital too but…" he trailed off sadly.

"I'm sorry. It was rude of me. I was very concerned for this young lad here, who needs to checked over by a healer as soon as possible." Isocrates blushed.

"It's OK. I've a son a bit older and my boy is living in Rome. I am worried if he's sick and able to look after himself."

"Is he visiting you soon?"

"No, maybe he will next summer. Hope this lad here will not be moving so far away from you when he's older."

"Huh? Oh, no, this lad, I just met him a few minutes ago."

"Really, you bonded very quickly. Sorry, to jump to conclusions, I thought you could be his father or grandfather. It looks like he has your nose and ears." The barman left quickly when he felt tension crackling the air around them.

"Really?" Isocrates turned and studied the lad, who was quite as red as he had been few minutes ago. Isocrates' eyebrows raised, it was a bit disconcerting. '_Well sure, in the Muggle World, there was always a chance that someone looked like another in their family, but in the Wizarding World, a family's unique features always passed on to their children. The Ollivanders have a uniquely shaped ear; slight narrow and elf like. Our hearing is amazing as well._'

"Would you believe that we're related?" Harry smiled nervously and felt a bit uncomfortable under the old man's scrutiny. It was a good opening chance the barman had given him and he snapped it up before he could think it over.

"I would have believed it but I'm the Head of Ollivanders, we only have a few members and my son's children. I know quite well."

"What if I come from the distant future? How about I'm a great-great-something grandson of your daughter?"

"That's a bit far fetched young man. I don't have a daughter."

Harry frowned, '_Oh, she has not been born yet_.'

He decided to get serious; it seemed he would get nowhere with Isocrates if he did not state the truth now. "You'll have a daughter, you'll name her Margaret and I'm descended from her line."

Isocrates narrowed his eyes, he was angry and disbelieving, '_No, my wife is pregnant and we had decided if it is another son, we would call him Isaac. And a daughter we would call Margaret. We discussed it privately and have yet to inform our son either. Did he use Legilimens on me?_' Isocrates' frown deepened at the reflection and his hand twisted against his wand ready for attack.

"Isocrates, have you limited yourself again? The boy may be speaking the truth." Janus decided he had waited long enough before joining them and by now Isocrates' irritation clearly showed. "I could help to prove the boy's identity if you both give me some blood."

"Janus." Isocrates smiled, forgetting the boy and wrapping his arms tightly around his friend. "I scarcely believed it when I received a letter from you. Where have you been disappearing to, you rascal?"

"I did drop off the Earth for a while" Janus shrugged ambiguously, "It's been a while but this young man just told you something very interesting."

'_Crap, where did he come from?_' Harry was annoyed that they had been overheard by someone.

"Why did you put glamour on? Thought I wouldn't recognise you?" Isocrates glowered but nodded to the boy, acknowledging Janus' comment.

"Hahaaha…I'm afraid this me, I know I look gorgeous." Janus winked at Harry.

"Tsk, same as before, I thought the years would mellow you into a finer man."

"The barman is right, you know. He has your ears and nose." Janus pointed out the features.

"Hnn… Now, that I've had a closer look, he resembles you too, rascal. No-one else I've ever met has that same gravity-defying hair." Isocrates retorted.

"What?" Janus' pale blues flashed back to Harry, "Ah, you right Isocrates! Wow, it seems the boy may be related to us both. I always knew we'd be closer someday." Janus smirked. '_Is this the one? Those damn Councillors! They knew he'd come to this period_.'

"Well lad, what's your name?"

"It's Harry." Harry replied, wary of the new comer.

"What do you say, Harry; want me to prove your relationship to Isocrates? He never was very good at looking at things from the outside box."

"YOU AND THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX! There are things that simply are not possible." Isocrates fumed.

"Here." Harry quickly pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall into a small bowl before them. Instead of a wand, Janus took out a silver-object from his pocket and dipped the object head into the blood. The object was small as a needle but it was well crafted. However, Anath was the most surprised out of them all. She took a deep breath and whispered frantically inside him, "That's advanced technology, Harry. Did you see those pulse glows? The energy flow created was definitely not magic."

Harry was dumbfounded at the news and queried back, "Its fusion reaction?"

Anath nodded and chided him immediately when she realised that Harry had not really understood what had been happening before him. She was amused that Harry'd been able to pick up her thought but she needed Harry to fully comprehend the knowledge that had been given to him. It bothered her that her host was ignorant, '_I seriously do not want Harry to be a 'monkey see monkey do' type, like Goa'uld Hosts have been. Is it something I missed? Have I been neglecting him? Maybe I should take closer interest in his education_,' Anath concluded and warned Harry, "You better be studying other fields besides magic when we're home."

Isocrates immediately followed and did not once question his friend's method of how it was done. Janus had his own blood examined as well after Isocrates'.

They sat silently and yet eagerly waiting for the result.

A scroll zapped into being before them. Janus quickly spread it out. It took Harry a while but he was able to grasp some understanding of the language. It was written similar to Latin which they had been using to communicate. Harry was pleased that he had studied the old Wizarding language for his research. It was unexpectedly useful.

"Good grief. The lad's inheriting your line." Isocrates swore and was the first to break the silence. "It's expected that the mother's blood is not as strong in his genetic makeup as the father's line."

Janus and Harry both studied each other perturbed over the event. They had not expected to meet each other. The results were a lot to take in.

"Harry, we have confirmed that you're family and related to us. Why don't you help out with a brief story about why you are here and how we could be of assistance?" Janus crooked his head and attentively focussed on the young man.

"I'm not quite sure, it all started….and here I am." Harry concluded watching as his many-greats Grandfather Isocrates pointed at himself still not believing that it was on his instruction that the lad was there.

"Harry, by any chance, does your key is look like this?" Janus held out a crystal of exactly the same shape and colour.

"Yeah!" Harry was ecstatically pleased that he was not insane and hadn't come back for nothing. He quickly took his out and brought it near to the replica key.

Janus cried out loud and hid the key away again. "No, Harry. That was bloody close, young man! You're nearly destroyed my key. I could have a heart attacked with that stunt you did."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"The problem was it's the same object, right? This principle is applied to both organic and inorganic things. When you put them close together, the past self and the future self, the universe automatically reject this and combine them. Thus the past self would literally disappear."

"Does that mean you're the one who gave me the key?"

"Yes, but I need it back. I'll give mine to Isocrates and you'll return that one back to me."

"That's a bit unreasonable. What is the point of returning the key back to the owner when it was given to me?"

"It was given to you so that you'd come to this time. However, I'll put your key in a safe place so when you return to the future, you'll find it. How about it, do we have a deal?"

"I don't think that it's a reasonable deal but it was your key so…yeah, OK. I have no idea what they key is for anyway." Harry sighed; watching Isocrates take the original key and Janus pick his own up.

"What the key is for is something we shall discuss later," Janus replied.

"I would not mind hearing this as well." Isocrates said.

"Sorry, Isocrates, it's family business…" Janus was interrupted, his face turned to a grimace which diverted the conversation immediately, "Alex had just called me. His son must be born. We should be going there now."

"Alex…and who's Alex?" asked Harry.

"Alex is my great-grandson or something. That makes him your great-great something Grandpa Harry." Janus smiled softly at the boy.

[Break]

Harry Potter paced back and forth inside a very large and beautiful room. "Where could Isocrates and Janus have gone for such long time?" He twisted his thumbs in annoyance. "Why do all adults always hide things from me? Damn! Why am I locked inside this room?" He swore again and again as the clock ticked forward. Anath blamed it on Sirius Black's choice of vocabulary.

"Harry, don't even think about it!" Anath grimaced when she got a glimpse of his plan. She had no control over the situation in which they had found themselves. Anath would like to have some time to analyse the situation but Harry's emotions constantly affected her train of thought. Everything was too coincidental and the trip had become uncertain for her. They were supposed to only meet Isocrates but _snap!_, there appeared another called Janus. '_Almost like someone is playing with me_.' There was something about Janus that bothered her constantly. The way his eyes searched Harry and there were times she felt as if he was speaking to her and knew that she was there inside Harry. Her sixth sense warned her repeatedly that going off to find him was certainly the most stupid idea Harry could have come up with. Anath felt she should take over and return them to their timeline. '_It may violate our agreement and I'll probably have to put up with Harry sulking but it's for the best…_' Anath's inner squabbling had not reaching its final decision when she was disrupted by Harry again.

"I have to find them! They should know better to leave a teen unattended." Harry snorted and turned the knob to go outside.

"And how would you find them in this maze?" Anath tried to foil Harry's plan.

Harry merely grinned cheekily and replied, "Point-Me spell".

Anath sighed, '_Clearly I'm loosing my touch. What happened to the time when everyone trembled in my presence._'

Harry strode carefully as he headed to where his relatives were located. Surprisingly there was no guard on site. However, his confidence was misplaced as he stumbled into a man. '_Really, how much does it suck to crash into someone twice in one day?_' Harry rubbed his face where it stung slightly from the impact.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, MORON! Do you not see? You bumped into the great General Eumenes!"

"It's OK." Eumenes soothed his subordinate. The captain was too enthusiastic when it came to rank and order, but he couldn't bring himself to discipline the man.

Harry stared at the General and couldn't stop himself commenting, "The Desk-General!"

"How dare you?" The captain moved forward and drew his sword menacingly but his hand was caught by Eumenes.

"It's OK. You may leave us, Captain. The boy is here in these quarters which must mean he's a guest of the King. I think we have found the reason why His Majesty did not arrive at the Throne Room. Please advise the others that he'll be busy today and they should carry on with their daily duties, Captain." The nameless captain bowed and left them hurriedly, as if he'd received a piece of candy - likely to gossip about the news.

"Desk-General!" Eumenes laughed as he faced the teenager, "I wondered who'd called me that. It's likely to be Alexander." Eumenes responded to his own question.

"You're look familiar…ah, yes, I see it now." Eumenes decided that particular knowledge was better kept hidden. "Is Alexander in that direction?" he pointed to where Harry was heading. The Desk-General was known for his great observation skills.

"I believed so; my... grandfathers were with him."

"Shall we head on over there?"

Harry dumbly nodded and they walked in silence. Harry was astounded that he'd met a few famous historic figures in just an hour of being here, first Isocrates and now Eumenes. '_Out of all Alexander the Great Generals, Eumenes was his favourite_.'

Harry's carefree attitude gave Eumenes the chance to observe the teenager. Eumenes noted again all the features he'd recognised at first glance which bore a likeness to Alexander and Roxanne and sighed. It was impossible. But many things that happened around Alexander were impossible. So he had stopped questioning them a long time ago and had just accepted these unique circumstances as fate.

"Eumenes." Alexander happily called out, "Just the man I'm looking for!"

"My lord." Eumenes "We were searching for you!"

"I see that you've found my guest."

Harry shifted his eyes between the two men, and there was only one conclusion that could be drawn from the conversation: The man who he knew as Alexander, his great-great-something grandfather was Alexander the Great. '_Great, Janus should have warned me_." Harry groaned and wondered how to talk to him.

"I think it was the other way around, this young man called me, the 'Desk-General'…" Eumenes paused when Alexander erupted with laughter that filled the courtyard. "I take it you hadn't called me that." Eumenes shook his head, thinking '_I'm digging my own grave_.' while he stared accusingly at Harry.

"Eumenes don't glare at Harry. I've a job for you." Eumenes' attention went immediately back to his lord, "I need you to escort my guests to Gubla (Byblos). Their safety is of the utmost priority and please be discreet about it."

"When should we be setting off, my lord?"

"As soon as you're able, Eumenes."

"Understood, my lord! Please follow me. We'll leave Babylon within the hour."

"Harry, I would like to have a word with you." Alexander called out. The others said good bye and left the boy behind. They knew he would catch up.

"Janus told me but seeing you reassures me, greatly!" He smiled while his blue eyes intensely memorised Harry's face, "I entrusted my dream into your hands, Harry." Alexander spoke firmly but the tone was emotional. Alexander was not sure how he would bid the boy farewell.

"My son looked like you. It's good that he inherited his mother hair. Black is a striking colour and the gravity defying quality looks better dark." Alexander mused. "Take this. Don't show the map to Isocrates or Janus. It's my gift for you, son." He quickly wrapped the boy into his arms in a tight grip then swept away just as fast.

[Break]

"Eumenes, be careful, alright? Don't trust…" Harry's warning was interrupted by a kick to his ankle given by none other than Janus. "…your subordinates, OK?" Harry ignored the pain and continued to call out. The General nodded acknowledgement while waving as his stallion sped away.

"What? I didn't give any names out, did I? Not that history recorded the names of the traitors." Harry fumed.

"You knew better. Damn, why do none of my family members ever listen to me?" Janus cried.

"Ha! Said the man who's bending rules just to suit himself. Like father like son, I say." Isocrates sniggered and patting Harry shoulder. "Don't worry, lad, you did what's right. The world could do with some more like him."

"It wouldn't be any good, you know, Harry. Eumenes is a man of honour and his tragic end - trying to support the right course of action - is set in stone just like Alexander's life."

Janus turned back to his old friend, "Isocrates, you and the young Alexander should be leaving as well. Your ship is waiting for you." A strong gale swept over them from the sea and Janus tightened his hold on the little baby, barely over a month old.

"Ah, yes, I too must be on my way. I hate goodbyes. This is the last time I'll see you, Janus." Isocrates sighed while Janus remained silent.

"No one would able to connect the baby with Alexander after the route we travelled and have planned." Janus touched the child's face regretful that he'd not see the boy again, before handing the bundle over to Isocrates reluctantly. "Please take good care of the child for me."

"I shall, Janus. The child is my future son-in-law."

"This contract would do me no good, Isocrates. Why don't you give him this" Janus hand the contract scroll back to Isocrates, "when the boy is older as wedding present? Tell him it was from his family who loved him very much."

"I'll comply with your request, Janus. We never discussed his surname… it should not be something grand."

"Ordinary huh…I think there was a trend that a family name came from the family occupation; perhaps we could use that to our advantage...a humble beginning."

"What about Potter? A potter is an honest worker and an inheriting skill."

"Alexander Potter." Janus rolled the name over his tongue in delight.

Harry was quiet, fascinated and finally disbelieving as he realised these men just had have given his family a name. Harry cracked up laughing insanely, leaving his audience disturbed and turning to him.

"What!" They yelled in union.

Isocrates was a bit put off as Harry become teary, "Are you able to come up with something better?"

"No…no, it's OK. I'm Harry James POTTER." It was the first time he introduced his full name, which, for some reason, had slipped from their previous conversation.

"I see, well Harry James Potter, we're holding up Isocrates departure." Janus grinned.

"Harry, take care lad. It's good to have met you." Isocrates hugged Harry. He'd miss the lad greatly after spending over a month travelling with him. However, they all knew the time would come to said goodbye and this was it.

Isocrates clasped his friend's hands, "Take care of Harry, Janus. I know you'll spend some more time with him before Harry returnes home."

"I will. You take care too. Goodbye, dear friend."

"Goodbye!"

The sun rose and the boat had been gone for the better part of the night but the two figures silently watched as if the boat was still within horizon.

"We should be going too." Janus waked Harry from his solemn mood.

"Where? My ship is still in Babylon...Oh! I could summon it here."

"That may be a good idea. We'll take the ship with us."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea." Harry could hear Anath screaming inside him and, well, it was her ship.

"Don't worry, I'll not touch your ship unless you give me permission. However, I need you to come with me. I thinks where we're going will explain everything to you."

"Alright, let's go." Harry agreed, '_I don't want to go home yet, this might be fun_.' He tried to cheer his counterpart but Anath had retreated deep inside his mind. '_It's almost as if she's given up on me_.' Harry thought it was odd but he had too much on his mind to pursue it further.

"Good, Harry, I'm glad you agree. We'll be going back to my timeline and that surely would shut the Council up for once." Janus smiled devilishly and clapped his hands together gleefully.

_*A/N There is no actually Muggleborn in this story but the Wizarding World didn't know better. The Muggleborn just don't know that they were from squib line since they'd not keep track of their heritage.*_

TBC...


	17. Ch15:Interlude – The Children of Gods P4

_**Disclaimer: This fan fiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended.**_

**AN: **

This may help with any confusion.

"…**speech…" **

'…**_thoughts…_' **

**Thank you very much Wantsome for beta the chapter.**

**Thanks for reviews and supports: Ignis Lupus, Dante Kelsae; Jarvey & Lientjuhh .**

**AN: This is the last chapter for book 1: The Lesser Twin, the sequel have not really start written yet but I'll do it. Although I'll posting the sequel on this thread and not as a new story since there hundreds of reader already link here. Of course I'll change the tittle name as The Lesser Twin is no longer relevant.**

**Currently I am starting a new hobby, translating a good series to English so I really slow at writing new chapter. Once again thank you for reading this story.**

******Cheers. **

******Happy New Year!  
**

**Chapter 15: Interlude – The Children of Gods**

_**Part Four – Exiles**_

_(3090 BC)_

Horus' mysterious death brought the war to an abrupt end, leaving Anath a hollow victory. Like any bloodthirsty Goau'ld with an inflated ego she had howled for days. This might explain her rampage to crush Horus' allies to vent her unresolved bitterness and of course to humiliate many high ranking System Lords, forgoing the unspoken laws to treat prisoners of war differently due to their rank.

'_Well…"_What Law_?_"' and hence her action became an example for the System Lords on how to deal with their (deadly) rivals. The little trend swiftly sent a ripple across the Milky Way - no longer was there a sanctuary agreement - and destabilized what fragile peaceful coexistence there might have been between the Children of the Gods.

Anath's name had always been feared the fear ratcheted up a notch when a disturbing grape-vine spread that she had killed Horus and the symbiote with her bare hands. There was no evidence of this except that the truth was Horus' host body and symbiote had been found close by each other, soaking in blood. The messy evidence could have been attributed to Anath with her infamous merciless killing style. Horus' realm crumbled as quickly as his dead symbiote. It was a hectic time, leaving the Merciful Goddess too busy to notice or concern herself with the impending doom that darkened her horizon. She may have forgotten an unwritten law specifically for those of Higher Ranking of System Lords, otherwise known as the Domain Gods/Goddesses; _'Thou Shall Not Kill Thy Brother lest Thy Blood Shall Spill As Well'_.

There were a few secrets that came to light upon Horus' death. It was not unusual that Anath's Servant Lords were able to discover secret bases, wealth and technology from Horus' protected database with their unparalleled skills. They had kept this knowledge within their circle while making public announcements such as Heru-ur was Ra's child with Hathor and had been kept prisoner since his birth for gathering information against Ra.

It was a welcome piece of news for Anath about her arch rival Hathor, for the betrayal of her surrogate daughter was still a sore blow to her pride, _'Ra sure takes care of her, one less enemy to deal with.'_

Anath sent Seth to escort Heru-ur to Ra for verification while she dealt with the aftermath of war. Seth was unwilling and it unsettled him to leave his new domain, which was promised to him by Ra after the god had claimed it. But Anath reassured him, "None of the System Lords would dare to claim the domain unless Ra said otherwise." It is true that the domain had been given to Seth, she mused; however, Ra had included extra clauses in the decree with the intention of rewarding Anath with her choice of any solar system within Seth's domain as a reward for her contribution to ending the war.

[Break]

The monitor was still flickering and a long silence filled the air. Anath forced a smile which changed to a sneer as she passed her endurance in waiting for the boy to move away from screen. The transmitter still held the clear image of a handsome young man of an almost feminine likeness. His fair features, golden, silky, long hair and blue eyes with long flashes that any women would envy resembled a female Cronus lookalike.

'_That Goa'uld was a mistake_', she thought bitterly. Anath did not like to share but the boy was pleasing to Baal so she had been ignoring him. Anath firmly believed that she had only one family member, and that was Baal. Anath understood her brother wanting a larger family. And, unlike their biological father, Baal had embraced his fatherhood. She was surprised that he has not considered more children since he seems enjoy playing the father role so much.

Anath was too busy seething and decided she must have misheard the boy who had finally spoken. Anath gritted her teeth, almost abruptly stood up but forced herself to be calm. She spoke slowly, disregarding the fact that her pitch was dangerous enough to reduce a Jaffa commander to tears; "**Repeat that again, Adon.**"

Adon otherwise known as Athtar to his father, Baal, almost stopped breathing when her sapphire eyes, flared with unholy rage, focused directly on him. His face become a few shades paler, almost sickly, as his body shook and his voice trembled, "Pardon me, my Lady. I was saying that we had received news. Lord Baal has perished in his battle with Lord Mot."

'_I really don't need this right now. Why me? Why did this unpleasant task fall on me?' _Adon groaned inwardly and hoped fervently that he would get out of this meeting in one piece. Adon might have been a few million light years away from the Merciful Goddess but if Anath wanted him dead, he certainly would be as soon as she spoke her command, which would warrant his death instantly. Adon knew Anath had tolerated his presence due to goodwill for Baal. There was really no indication how he would survive now that his father was gone.

"PERISHED…WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'PERISHED'? **Is he Dead**! BAAL IS A GOD! WHO DARES KILL HIM?" Anath ranted and then, losing her cool head, she aimed at the communication device and blasted it to smithereens.

"NINA, WE SHALL HEAD BACK TO ZAPHON." Anath swept quickly out of the room, giving the others some space to breathe again since all within the vicinity had been afraid for their lives when the news had suddenly broken out. They were all grateful that the goddess has not gone on a rampage.

[Break]

The architecture of Bubastis Palace was all open spaces and simple design. It hardly seemed to be a dwelling place for a Goa'uld; no defensive walls or weapons hidden from sight. Two canals branched off from the river and ran as far as the entrances of the palace. The city was surrounded by water and the banks were lined with palm trees. The palace, like the rest of city, was sparsely furnishinged but for the exception of a few large sculptures of cats adorning the sidewalks to signify its owner.

Bast was like his palace - an enigma. The Empire knew little of the Goa'uld called Bast, although closer acquaintances would describe him as no man's friend and the enemy of no man. Bast was a Servant Lord and many believed he faithfully served his father, Lord Ra, the Supreme System Lord. Yet no one knew in what capacity he was serving Ra. Bast held very little forces of his own except a few bodyguards in Jaffa and, apart from his Bubastis home world, he had no other known domain. It was uncharacteristic for a power hungry, scheming Goa'uld.

Bast, barefoot, was gliding silently across the palace and surveying his city proudly. From anywhere within the palace he had a 360 degree, panoramic view of the surrounding area, so nothing ever escaped his notice. Bast knew his fortune was about to change. He was excited, not for the gain he had achieved but for the recognition that he believed the Empire owed him. Bast decided it was time to leave the Shadow World and stepped into the light. Bast attentively assessed his possessions and found he had everything he needed.

'_It looks so bare, but what importance is secured and hidden from prying eyes,' _he mused. His case his gaze down toward the ground. Beneath the ground level was a hidden building complex, where his trained assassins lived.

'_Ah, it looks like my guests have arrived.' _Upon seeing them, his lips twisted a ghostly smile as he pet the Egyptian Maus wandering around his feet. The cats dutifully followed their master; however, instead in a straight line like their master, they strode through the transparent white fabric, not knowing that it was supposed to be there in place of a wall. _'Even if they are well trained animals; they still are animals and have no artistic sense.' _Bast sighed dejectedly at his favourite cats.

Kali and Sobek waited patiently for their host to arrive. It help that they were being kept occupied with Tau'ri dancers entertaining them, and servants with wine.. The dancers' movement were flawless and gentle like a stream of water, their unearthly beauty had begun to captivate the Goa'uld and was something that only Bast could provide for the Empire. It was not that surprising since one Goa'uld was in the market for the Systems Lords' amusement. The Goa'uld sneered and joked at Bast's slaves for what good was a dancer compared to a Jaffa? Even though it was a ludicrous idea that they should own dancers, they still bought them. '_What one System Lord possesses, another should have as well.' _The music immediately stopped with single clap and they all disappeared in a blink of an eye, and leaving only the three Goa'uld in the room with the Egyptian Maus.

"Greetings, dear Kali. Your new host is **very impressive**." Bast purred and kissed Kali's cheeks before he nodded at Sobek, "And it's good to see you, Uncle."

"Bast!" Sobek growled, clearly was not amused at have his entertainment cut off short.

"Now, now Uncle. We have business to discuss first before leisure." Bast spoke lightly and steering his companions back to their cushions.

"I'm glad that you're alive Kali. I, I was uneasy when I received news that you were captured. I shouldn't have worried, since this is you, my dear." Bast smirked as the corner of his eyes saw Sobek become irritated that the younger Goa'uld was ignoring him.

"As you see Bast, I am fine, but for my wounded pride." Kali spoke coldly and gave Bast a quick, meaningful glance.

Bast nodded acknowledgement that he shouldn't be playing with Sobek since they had little time, "Uncle, you must meet Anath as soon as possible." Bast pleaded and added a snide remark hopping to goad Sobek on, "We can't precede with our plan if you run away."

"Watch your bloody mouth Bast. I have it all taken care of," Sobek grumbled. _'I don't like this plan one bit, but from what Ra has told me about the bitch, he's surely out of his mind.' _Sobek tried not to shudder, for he would show no weakness to the other, only to explode; "I'm not afraid of her! What could she possibly do to me? I'm Ra's favourite!" his rant continued.

'_He surely is delusional,' _Kali tried very hard not to laugh. Instead, she gave the other Goa'uld a warning. Not out of kindness but to push him over the edge. "A worse scenario would be for her to kill your host like she did mine."

"Hn, I have already prepared another host, though I've never experienced dying before." Sobek tried to laugh it off since he couldn't back out of this plan. "She has risen too fast, and someone has to take her down a peg or two. I'll not take commands from a little pup." Sobek nodded. He usually never bothered himself with anyone but Anath was becoming a threat to him. _'Ra told me his future for the Empire. I swear I will not have her as my Queen.'_

"We are all in agreement. We'll strike where it hurts most." Bast laughed heartily at their plan.

"Yes, let the Game of Gods begin!" Kali chuckled, echoing Bast's mirth.

Sobek did not join them. He felt uneasy over his expected death in this game and thus was more sober; there was still a flaw in the plan and he enquired, "Where's Baal?" Sobek did not notice the odd glances were flitting between his companions and would have walking away if he had.

"Baal's held in a cell. Don't worry, Uncle. We'll make sure you do not die from Anath's hand." Bast tried to reassure Sobek and steering the simple minded Goa'uld away from that dangerous track. Bast decided that indulging the other Goa'uld should do the trick, "I almost forgot to mention, Uncle, did I say I've an exotic slave for you tonight?"

"No." Sobek troubled frame of mind vanished as the gleeful thought of his gift took over. "Do we have other business to discuss, Bast? I would like to retire early."

"Uh… no Uncle, I have a particular plant that I've recently found to show Kali. It has a very poisonous property. Would you like to join us?"

Sobek scoffed, "I'll be leaving now."

Bast waved his hand dismissively, "OK, Uncle."

"Have a good night, Lord Sobek." Kali nodded, seeing the other Goa'uld hurrying out of the room, bidding them farewell.

"I pity the Tauri that you given to him tonight. He is the worst torturer in the Empire." Kali whispered.

"It can't be helped. We need him. It's nothing when the end is so near. He has cost me a few good slaves already, one more is nothing." Bast winced,_ 'Another well trained assassin is going to be broken tonight.' _

"Sobek will pay tenfold when this is over." Bast scowled darkly and his onyx eyes flashed dangerously.

"Let a slave butcher his host, its fitting ending for those like him; especially use the one that he had hurt most. I'm sure that would be entertaining."

"What a good idea! I'll be sure to invite you."

"Sure, dear Bast. I would be in your debt if you would give Sobek's symbiote to me."

Bast was taken aback at the request "Whatever for? I thought we'd put him in a jar for eternity…well after thoroughly torturing him." Bast smirked at the gruesome thought of what he could do to his uncle.

"What can I say? I've acquired a taste for cannibalism." Kali spoke nonchalantly leaving her company wondering if it was a joke or not. They certainly never had eaten their own kind before. Bast swiftly decided he did not care and idly scratched the feline cat nearest to him. "Has all gone as plan?" he asked, his face stern as the thought over Kali's recent escape. "How did you get out?"

"I've a cohort in Anath's Jaffa" Kali boasted, knowing how hard it was to plant a spy within a System Lord Jaffa, especially in the invincible Anath's Army. "And yes, I have captured Selmak and thus control Sekmet completely. Don't worry; I'll not harm your little sister Bast. It was brilliant that news of Baal's Death reached them at the time and, with all the commotion, no one has noticed both of us missing."

"Good, did I ever mention you're the best mentor I ever had?" Bast complimented his companion.

"Hahaha…good one Bast, I'm the only one you ever had, my dear." Kali mocked gently.

Bast turned the conversation away to a more pleasant topic. "As I've said before, I got a plant to show you. It's excellent! Just what we have been look for the last century. I found the plant growing on Myrrh. It has very deadly properties, and it reacts extremely with blood."

"Excellent, exactly what we need. Our collection is doing well, and the assassin's job will be easier with these at hand." Kali smiled warmly for the first time and Bast felt tremendously pleased that he had Kali's approval. Bast was secretly in love with Kali but never actual realised it. The rare sentiment may have blossomed or withered overtime but since it was an absurd emotion of the Tau'ri, the latter was a more likely outcome.

[Break]

Anath awoke, for the first time in her life, from visions filled with darkness. Her breathing was shallow and she knew something was not right. Immediately she was assaulted with recalled events that had lead up to her symbiote being injured and maimed. Anath would have liked to stand up immediately, but instead did her best to sit up slowly, trying not to tear the wounds any further. It would have been nice if she had a wall to lean against but she knew there was none. She neither grunted nor moaned at her pitiful state, her symbiote was clinging to life instead of healing the host body, and reducing the pain was the least priority in the moment. _'The bastard had done it, he had gutted my symbiote.'_ She forced composure with what dignity as she could afford for her instinct told her she was not alone.

She heard a chuckle and readied herself to face the worst scenario, _'It seems I am surrounded.'_

"She has awaked. Hear Ye! Let the trial begin."

'_Ah, great so this is how it will be!' _Anath sighed inwardly, it seemed her fate was sealed. Ra had washed his hand of her. _'At least hurry up. If I must suffer before I die, I'd rather it be in better company.'_

"The Empire's Supreme Court of Ra is now in session, who is brought before our brethren to be judged of their crimes?"

"Anath Rahmaya of Canaanite"

"What charges had she committed against her brethren?" Ra spoken for the first time, surprisingly, it was toneless.

"Murder, my Lord"

'_You're all hypocrites! As if none of you ever killed your brethren.' _Anath would have shouted if her vocal cord were not smashed. It just proved how badly they have really wanted to shut her up. She felt like she was drifting off, the pain too great to be ignored no matter how much machismo she displayed…the trial was one sided anyway. It would have been great if she could dwell on pleasant things, but bad memories always resurface when you are dying.

[Flashback]

"Is it really his body?" A voice wailed behind her then turned to sobbing noises when she nodded her head.

'_It is strange, but I do not believe he is dead. This body is exactly alike, from what I could recognise any way. The tattoo on his left forearm is the same.'_ Anath felt angry that she could not figure out what the missing piece of the mystery. There is something nagging at her that this was a hoax.

"OH BAAL, MY LORD." A terrible screamed socked her back to reality and she swung around to see Ishtar crushing a symbiote in her arms. In her haste she had taken a stance very close to Ishtar, whereas normally she would stay well clear of the other Goa'uld. _'It is uncanny to be standing next to your look-alike and more disturbing when your double is your twin consort and mother of my nephew, Adon.'_

Whatever doubt she had about the host body was gone instantly, her blinding rage so intense that she never questioned that Ishtar would lie to her. There was not really a way to enlighten the situation, since Ishtar's symbiote was intimate with Baal's symbiote and hence would recognised her consort in his true form.

[End Flashback]

Anath coughed and vomited, and she knew it was blood. She could not see the crimson colour that she loved. _'It's good that my eyes have been blinded, I do not care to see my own blood smeared on my face.'_ Anath chortled, then focused back to the present and heard her crime echoing through the chamber; however, it came off like she was having another fit.

"…She split his host with her sword, throwing his body into a fire, then grinding his bones and scattered the remnants to the animals for food. I heard the Jaffa talking among themselves about how Sobek was screaming in his host Mot's body."

There was silence for a few minutes over the claim, the assembled Goa'uld nauseated at the thought. They loved torturing their prisoners, a favourite pass-time, but this was over the top.

"As you have all concluded, my Lords and Ladies, our brethren Lord Sobek suffered grossly and has not seen since that day. It is true that we do not care what happened to Mot's remains as he was just a lowly host, but we cannot say the same thing for our brethren Lord Sobek."

"Anath Rahmaya is clearly as insane as she renowned to be. Did she not declare before the Court that Lord Sobek owed her a debt? With the killing of her twin, Lord Baal, we sure could understand this vengeance. But my Lords and Ladies, she is liar. Who is standing before you today in this very Court, beside Lord Cronus?"

"If we look more closely at the recent Empire War, Lord Horus' death was a mystery as well. One can not help but draw the conclusion that Lord Sobek was not the first of our brethren to have fallen by her hand. Are we going to leave an insane Warlord on rampage? Freely destroying our very existence and culture? Did we not all swear an oath that we would not kill our brethren as filthy animals like those that we had taken hosts..."

Anath was utterly amused. Who knew she would die of laughing instead? _'I would like to see who the accuser is? Clearly someone I have not known before. I am hardly able to guess who it is just by the sound of his voice. A few more doses of that would surely neutralise my pain…'_she grimaced when her cynical thought did not ease her suffering thus decided to concentrate on her surroundings, limited as she was by her lack of sight.

Anath tried to visualise what the chamber's appearance was like but failed miserably, _'Damn, I never felt the need to memorise the building, but being blind does make one vulnerable.' _It was not long ago when she was last here in this chamber and yet she could not remember clearly the surroundings, just intense emotions which had been emitted by the occupant.

'_Ah, the last time I saw him and it was rather awkward. How many times I have recounted the event? It was strange that we were the only ones who were there. He must have told the servants to clear out of the chamber. I guessed he desired the confrontation to be private. It is true he offered a way out for me; it does not escape me that he had foreseen this and acted according to his own advantage…Hahaha…so I am a gullible fool and have played into their hands. Serves me right! I guess I deserved this since I am as blind as he had told me I was.'_

[Flashback]

It was in the same chamber, the last time she saw Ra before this trial. The chamber otherwise known as Ra's Court was empty with the exception of the two. It escaped her at the time, but much later she realised that it was rather odd that they were, in fact, alone. Ra was never alone.

"Where is he?" the commanding tone expected obedience from his subordinate.

Anath was in an irritated, foul mood and the tone finally set her off her rocker. She gave the Supreme Lord a deadly glare even it would means certain death for her if he chose, _'you must be deaf and don't expected me to repeat myself.'_ She swore mentally.

They eyes locked in a battle of wills before Anath turned away with a huff, "I'm leaving, you can investigate all you want, my Lord, but I have nothing to do with that coward's disappearance."

"Anath Rahmaya I commanded thee to stop where you are. I'll not have a half-baked answer from you. What am I suppose to believe when it was you who were the last to see him. And it is not only that fact alone that has made you accountable, you killed the host, Mot, in full witness of his Jaffas."

"Vengeance was my right, even if this displeases you, my Lord. And must I swear left and right I don't know where he is? Why are you detaining me when I am taking my departure from your side as you had decreed? Am I not complying with your order, my Lord!" She mocked, "Well, until further notice I'll be under House Arrest as you commanded and that is all I'll be saying regarding this matter."

Anath marched out the chamber but before she reached the door she felt his presence beside her. So close that she almost lost her serene posture. _'I knew he was a sleeping leopard but this is ridiculous. Is it even possible to be in motion with that speed?'_ She broke out in a sweat, frozen, and unable to swiftly run away from the coming strike. Anath could see the motion but it was beyond her power at this stage to counteract it. _'Another lesson I'll learn from him.' _She cried, frustrated ar her powerlessness.

Anath did not expected the lethal strike to turn into an affectionate touch lingering on her face.

She was stunned, this was not Ra's usual teasing. His face very close against her ear, his breathing stirring a portion of her black hair, he whispered more gently than he ever did before, "Anath Rahyama, what must I do to win your devotion?"

Anath ignored the innuendo in the remark and replied scathingly, hoping he would take the hint, "Have I not sworn my loyalty to you, my Lord? How many battles must I face before I prove…?"

"Stop! If I must spell it out then I shall, my dear Anath. I am asking you to be my Queen. Hathor and Egeria are gone. I cannot see any one else who could take up the position as my equal."

'_I doubt you ever saw anyone as your equal.'_ Anath fumed, she really forgot recent events have shifted the entire Empire into Chaos, not just domains.

"I…You flattered me, my lord, but I must decline this request. I have made a vow…"

"I understand you are in mourning for your consort. I'll wait for my answer."

'_Consort? Is he means…? Oh, that is gross.' _Anath hid her disgust, _'…where the hell did he get that fact from?'_

"If you mean my brother, Baal, he is not my consort."

"My dearest, I saw your little twist with him a fortnight season at Rhea's Court. Lady Rhea told me that you wish not to disclose the news, for you do not want mischief aimed at him since your enemies could not take it out on you."

'_Mother…why would she have had told him that? Saw me? Does that mean Ishtar attended as me at Mother's Court? Oh, this is too confusing.' _Anath was puzzled and decided it is best to be remain silent until she knew more.

"I shall wait for yours reply. My dear, I assure you, you'll find pleasure in my comforting arms." Ra paused and caresses her cheek. "Our alliance will be very fruitful. I look forward to it very much."

Ra chuckled, "Breathe, my dear." Anath did not know she had stopped until he told her. She blinked and stared, trying not to sneer at him. She was trapped and knew Ra would not take a "no" for an answer.

'_In this battle I may not come out as a winner._' Anath sighed and found she was alone in the chamber.

[End Flashback]

'_Ignorant, jerk!_'Anath felt like smacking herself that just for a second earlier she had regretted not accepting Ra's offer. Anath was so angry at her own foolishness that she became fully awake to reality. Although it would have been better if she had passed out, for the accusers had started on the tactic of attempting to darken her character. The Goa'uld cunningly provided information that he would twist to his benefit.

"…Anath Rahyama is well known as Queen of Canaanite; nevertheless, she has never given birth to any of our children, one must question her gender? As Queen, her foremost duty to the Empire is to boost our population and yet centuries had passed and we have yet to see this development. Is she disguising her gender, specifically using a female host so that we will underestimate her? Have we all fallen for her charms? Why were we not on our guard, and why did we forget to question how rare it is for a Queen to be a Warlord. Not just any Warlord but the youngest Warlord in our Empire's history! What is she, or should I say 'he', planning for our Empire?"

'_The low life! If I could gain just one ounce of energy I'd surely kill him.' _Anath swore, _'How dare he imply that my prowess on battlefield was a mere trick?'_ Anath jerking up quickly, forgotting she was deeply wounded and consequently immediately lost consciousness.

"….my Ladies and Lords, what is left for us to do at this point but denounce Anath Rahyama, leaving her with no rank, and judge according to her status?"

Anath's fever became worse and took its toll on her host's body. The fragile human mind was inflicted with nightmares; it was replaying scenes of the last battle and Cronus' torturing in the prison cell. In her delirious state, she could not have identified her attacker and became more deluded from images flashback.

[Flashback] {Recap from Prologue}

Anath saw another blade appeare, this time from Baal's cuff._ 'No, I was sure it was Cronus…How many weapons did he hide within his robe?'_ she wondered before he drove it deeply into her side, twisting it as he did so. _'What am I thinking at this time? Shouldn't I manoeuvre out the way? Everything is so slow…' _

Cronus face was blurring and Anath heard screams torn from her own vocal cords unwillingly. Her eyes flashed golden as the symbiote started to feel the pain. Anath tried to wriggle free from her captivity but his strong hands held her throat, cutting off her air and she swayed on her feet.

She was drowning.

'_I am hearing someone talking? What….Who's there?' _

"…Lesser Twin…"

'_I'm not….Who's there...'_

{Scene – Cronus Prison}

'_Is that you?'_

'_Who's there?'_

"…Baal…"

"Ah, you've awakened again; very good, shall we have more fun, my Tauri's daughter!"

"Is that the best insult you could come up with, Father?"

Anath gritted her teeth when he blasted a sock wave into her abdomen. Her sapphire eyes glared with hate at her father.

"You're nothing but a failed experiment. You know what happens to faild experiments? They should be terminated. How dare you betray me, your Lord?" Cronus smacked her face. "I should have killed you when you were a toddler…" Anath tuned out his mad ranting and willed her symbiote to heal her injured left hand. The fingers for both hands were all broken by Cronus sometime ago. It was not long before she felt tingling sense on her left palm and knew she should knock him out before he became aware of her recovery.

Unfortunately her bruises had blinded her to her surroundings, include another presence in the cell. The Jaffa or Goa'uld had prevented her from escaping or doing further damage to Cronus. However, she was pleased that she did manage to punch Cronus in the gut as she had planned and forced the old Goa'uld to tumble backward since his stance was not secure. Anath shook her head for her skull was still ringing since whoever it had been that had whacked her on the head, had almost severed her neck bone as well.

Cronus pulled her hair up and aligned her face with his enraged one, "You'll pay for that before I'm through with you…"

Anath spat at him then laughed merrily, "Whatever, Cronus. I would have said the same to you. I regret only that I didn't kill you after Horus' battle."

Cronus took a knife on the table, his blue eyes darkening with glee, staring at his daughter, "Let us see how your symbiote tolerates pain."

Anath was traumatized as the knife pierced her, slicing and peeling off part of her symbiote's flesh. The symbiote quickly shut down its connection with the host effectively allowing them both to pass out cold.

[End Flashback]

Ra's Court was silent and Ra announced his verdict, "Anath Rahyama, the Empire sentences you to forever drift in outer space, at the edge of Milky Way. Your personal servants will be on board with you and accompany on your never ending journey."

Anath never heard the decree for she was laying there, dying.

A few Hataks (motherships) were anchored around the outer solar system, at the very edge of the Milky Galaxy, to ensure Anath's exile. None had ever ventured this far, for the Goa'uld that is, for the technology that enabled them to go no further and around solar systems was useless for habitation or mining for resources. Although, they knew for sure that no other race had lived beyond this point for eons, they had patrols in the area, none of whom had ever seen anyone passing through here. The Asgard's galaxy (Ida) was opposite and unlikely to aid a Goa'uld even if they found a Goa'uld in distress in space. Those who attended the farewell party to Anath Rahyama fussed with many emotions; some felt triumph that their enemy was finally exiled, and others were starting to perceive the emptiness in their life that will never be filled by anyone ever again.

"Are you regretting this game?" her sapphires, which had been inherited by her children, finally shifted away from the tiny ship which had drifted off into the dark space and out of sight. Her companion's eyes were hooded and gave nothing of what he was thinking away.

"I do not have regrets, my dear. Anath is not fit to be my Queen, and she would not accept the very idea of me as a consort. After all, was she not being brainwashed to serve me as her beloved brother, someone she must protect with her life?"

The beautiful woman shrugged and sat down on the sofa reluctantly; she could not help but feel the wrongness that had lead to this. "I admire her strength." She smiled thoughtfully, "a daughter I never wished for, but a daughter I am proud of."

The younger man, who had still not taken his eyes off the darkened space, simply nodded at the statement. He knew Anath would love to hear it even though she would never admit such thing even with him, her twin.

"If I had known I would have modified her to be suitable Queen for you. Nevertheless, you are right! My daughter and your sister Hera suits you much better. She and your brothers shall be free soon. I'm sure they will help you to fulfil your dream."

Baal ignored the exchange, he knew no one could replaced his twin no matter how much he wanted it to be so. But Anath's days were numbered; she was not part of his plan for the future. The next stage was set and he would rule Olympia.

Baal's games were deadly and Anath was a mere pawn on the chessboard, who was about to become Queen. Her death would bring him victory. And like Baal, Anath would rule alone. _'They're twins after all.'_

He closed his mind over the matter, _**'It is done and it's done for the best'**_ and impassively changed the subject, "Let us have another game like I promised, my dear.'

"As you've wish Baal. Should I call you Zeus now since Cronus has acknowledged you as his heir?" She smirked at the realisation of her plan come to fruitfulness. Cronus hated Anath so much that he would do anything to get rid of her, and it had never crossed his mind that he was manipulated into the situation. _'Cronus has no power to harm Baal even if he were to discover their treachery, but it would not be the same with Anath,'_ Rhea paled at the thought and quickly looked at her son and feared for his life, "Has it occurred to you that she might survive this, which she usually has done in the past against all odds. What would happen if she were to learn who had betrayed her…?"

Baal's fingers shook at Rhea unfinished chatter, it stopped in mid-air and the piece he had been holding dropped to the ground, rolling a few times as the atmosphere became gloomy, "I'll have to destroy anything that connects me to this betrayal, won't I?"

Rhea, for a second, feared for her life, the malevolent intention was leaking off him but she hoped it was all her imagination, and that her beloved son would never harm his mother.

[Break]

Anath Rahyama was like a tornado and as quickly she came into the Empire, she left the same way. She shone more brightly than any other Goa'uld in the Empire and many remembered her not for her hideous crimes, but for how much she had revolutionized their way of life.

Anath Rahyama, the second and the last Child of Gods, was sentenced to Exile as recorded in Goa'uld Empire History.

[Break]

'_Who's there?'_ her silent thought echoed through the empty space as she drifted in its darkn vacuum. Anath did not expect anyone to answer, nor that they might be sentient enough to reply for she was still delirious.

A strong voice spoke and swiftly broke all the darkness away with it words, _'My child, there is still much for you to do. How long must I be waiting?' _

'_Who are you?'_ Anath finally gained consciousness and never felt more alive than in the presence of this being.

'_You'll learn of me if you are worthy.'_ The voice was gone as suddenly as it had appeared but it left behind the knowledge that everything would be OK.

'_I'll live.'_ And she knew it is true as she thought the words.

Anath opened her eyes, conscious she was inside a coffin but it was not a sarcophagus. The Systems Lords wanted her to be dead, although it must have amused them to put her in an imitation one. At least Ra did not separate her body and symbiote; she could not have born it if he had. They are one, unique among the Goa'uld. _'Baal is not one with his body anymore'_ she sighed _'I should not think of him, as promised I would not appear before him again'_.

Anath opened the lid and heard a distance noise, mostly sound of weeping but this was the least of her concern.

'_Who helped me?' _Anath wondered, still puzzled that she was miraculously resurrected.

Anath started smiling and it was genuine, childlike, '_It is like being born again.'_ The meeting reminded her of the same feeling as the deep space that had called to her and it had sung a mysterious song long before she had begun to walk.

END...** Interlude – The Children of Gods**


End file.
